Now You're One of Us
by fairywings81
Summary: While vacationing, Alice and Jasper Hale stumble across the planning of a massacre. Emma Volding is a six-year-old who's mother is killed in the fray. Seeing she has a similar gift, Carlisle grants permission for Alice and Jasper to take her in as theirs.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One  
**

Emma Volding watched everything going on around her. The grand lobby of the resort hotel was buzzing with people checking in, people checking out, and many people chattering about their plans for that weekend. She clutched her Victorian dressed doll tightly against her breast. Her mother, who sat next to her, fidgeted, going over the itinerary yet again. Her mother was a brisk woman. She owned a large business in Buffalo, New York, and normally did not take the time out for such frivolous trips. The exception was that it was Emma's birthday. She had taken the time out for that, at least, since her father would not.

"Emma, dear, don't wander off, okay? This place is huge, and you could very well get lost." Saying this, the woman took Emma's free hand in hers. She walked with her daughter up to the registration desk. They were behind another couple.

Emma sighed. Her mother still treated her like she was four-years-old. She was six now, and she knew better than to run off alone. She glanced up at the couple. The woman, who looked no older than sixteen at best, turned and smiled at her radiantly. She waved a little.

"Hi there." The woman smiled. "Are you here for a special occasion?" Her teeth were a perfect white as she smiled.

Emma nodded enthusiastically. "It's my birthday today." She marveled at the woman's pale skin, which was beautiful, and flawless at the same time. She hoped she'd have such pretty skin when she got to be her age.

"Wow. How old are you today?" The woman asked now, nudging her companion. He turned to, to give his attention to his mate's new friend behind them.

"I'm six." Emma smiled cutely, holding up the appropriate number of fingers on her little hands. "Mama's going to take me horseback riding!"

"Ooh, that sounds like fun." The male spoke now. "What's your name, little one?"

"Emma Mallory Volding." She told him proudly. Then her mother tugged on her hand. She looked up.

"How many times have I told you not to talk to strangers, Emma?" Mrs. Volding sighed deeply, exasperated at her daughter's disobedience. "It's a simple rule, meant to keep you safe."

"They weren't gonna hurt me, Mama." Emma replied, embarrassed at being reproached in front of her new friends.

"It's really alright." The male spoke now. "She's adorable." He winked at Emma. "I'm Jasper Hale, and this is my wife, Alice."

"Elizabeth Volding." The woman relaxed a little. "I apologize if she bothered you…" She was still determined that her daughter was making trouble. She always seemed to.

"Oh she's not bothering us at all." Alice smiled brightly again, as Jasper checked them in. "If you want, we can watch her while you check in."

Elizabeth thought this over. Emma couldn't get into any trouble while she was still in the lobby anyway. She shrugged, and let go of Emma's hand. "Alright, but you don't go anywhere."

"Okay!" Emma smiled, as the one called Jasper took her hand in his. She was startled to realize how cold his hands were in mid May. "Are you getting sick?"

"Not really." Jasper smiled brightly. He was impressed that she didn't feel intimidated by them. "I'm always cold."

"Oh…" Emma didn't ask anything else. Jasper and Alice sat down in a couple of chairs, and she dragged a lone chair over to where they were. "Are you on your honeymoon?"

"Nope. Just getting away from the family for a little while. We needed a break." Alice smiled gently. "Where's your father?"

Emma blinked. It hadn't occurred to her that it might seem weird t hat they were traveling without her father. "He's away on business." The little girl climbed into the chair she'd pulled over. "Do you have any children?"

"Well, we're not really ready for that yet…"Alice allowed. She watched her mother argue with some man at the counter about something.

Emma followed Alice's gaze, and sighed deeply. She was feeling anxious now, and she knew it was because of her mother, but she wasn't sure why. And then she felt an overwhelming sense of peace sweep over her. She blinked. Her mother couldn't have gotten over her upset that fast. She glanced at Alice and Jasper. They were talking quietly between themselves. They hadn't even seemed to notice her mother's fit at the counter. "I should probably go…it was nice meeting you…" Emma had the distinct impression she might see them again soon.

Alice smiled that fabulous smile of hers again, and waved slightly. "Have a good birthday, Emma." She watched the child go over to her mother. Then she turned to Jasper. "She's gifted…"

"I felt it too…when I was trying to sooth her. It felt like her own gift was trying to reject mine." Jasper followed the mother and daughter with his eyes. He wondered how long Emma had been harboring such a gift, and doing it alone. He could only imagine how hard it must be for her, not knowing what it was. He stood up, taking his and Alice's luggage in his hands again. "Well. I hope she will be alright…."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Roscoe glanced around the ball room, smirking. Soon, the room would be full of naïve hmans, expecting to get a big grand prize, but that wasn't going to happen. No. He and his brothers and sisters were going to have a feast. And he was proud to say the whole thing had been his idea. He glanced up, as his sister Marie walked in, looking a little troubled. "What's wrong with you?" The girl, who looked no more than thirteen didn't speak at first. She studied the interior decorating job that the boy was doing. "Well?"

Marie brought her gaze back to her brother, her features conveying the real worry she had."Roscoe, there's been a bit of a setback. Do you remember the tales of the Olympic Coven? You know, the vampires that don't feed on humans?"

"Yeah? So? They're all the way in Washington, the last time I heard." He pushed his ponytail over his shoulder. It was very rare to see Marie in such a disarray.

"Apparently, two of them have come here. Maybe they anticipated…I heard that one of them can see visions of the future." Marie shivered visibly, her curly locks bouncing with the shake. "What if they did? They'll ruin everything!" Marie's rant had gone from an angry outburst to a whine. "Do something, Roscoe. Take them out too!"

Roscoe went over to her, and held her close to him. "Never you fear. There hasn't been an opposition yet that could defeat me. Your big brother won't let them ruin your party." He stroked her hair gently. "Now go on. I saw a lovely mother and child in the lobby. The girl is just a little younger than you, and she's very sweet smelling. Probably it's the essence of innocence." He looked down at his clip board. It held the room numbers of all the attendees of Marie's little soiree. He guessed it wouldn't hurt to let her have a little snack. "Go ahead to room five-oh-six. That's where you'll find them." He chuckled to himself as his sister scampered off to get her early birthday present.

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It had been a long time in coming, this vacation. Alice Hale unpacked the last of her wardrobe , and put it into a closet. She glanced over at Jasper, who was stretched out on the long King size bed, and smiled. "It feels good to get a break away, huh?" She admitted to herself that the king size might have been overkill. Maybe that's where she got her incessant need to do everything big came from.

"I don't know how good it is…" Jasper admitted. He had been reluctant to leave the safety of the large Cullen mansion. Alice had assured him he was ready to handle it. And if he couldn't, Alice had promised she could pull him away. It had taken a lot of convincing before Jasper would be convinced that leaving was a good idea. Seeing the look of disappointment on her face, he beckoned Alice over to him When she sat down, he held her close to him. "I'll try and be a good sport about it all, okay? It's just still so hard for me.."

"You don't need to worry! You've got me here." Alice reassured him again, pulling away. "The weather is going to be pretty good for our hiking trip." She changed the subject, trying to lighten her husband's mood. "I found a really nice trail not far from here."

Jasper took the bait, and smiled. "Oh?" He dragged his eyes away from her. "I don't think we should take the whole weekend, regardless."

"Oh come on. It's been a few years since we've had the chance to be away from the family. Don't you think we deserve this?" Alice sat down on the edge of the bed. "Can't you just be a good sport just this once? I bet we can find something good on trail…" She was trying to make things sound as good as possible. She knew Jasper, of all people deserved some peace and quiet.

Jasper gave in, and he sat up, pulling Alice close to him again. "Alright. If you really think so, I'll play nice." The thing about Jasper sometime was he didn't know when to relax. After the last fyear, dealing with Bella's transformation, the birth of his half human neice Renesmee, and then the Volturi, he had to agree with Alice. They did deserve a break. He chuckled a little, when Alice exuberantly climbed into the bed, to sit closer to him. "Remember, I said nice."

"Oh, I know." She smiled radiantly at him. "You're not going to regret this weekend one bit." She was sure it was true. Outside, the rain began to fall silently, as if it didn't want to give itself away to her. She knew it was raining, though. There wasn't much Alice missed. She also didn't miss the sudden feeling of fear and dread that crossed her mind. She forced herself to shake it off. Jasper's good time depended on it. She'd dwell on it later. Now she smiled at Jasper. "Do you want to go explore the resort with me?"

"Why not? It's not like we're actually going to sleep in here." Jasper found he was really looking forward to this vacation now. Though he did wonder about the troubled look that Alice was trying so desperately to hide. He didn't press her about it. He knew Alice would only tell him if she felt it was vital. He figured it must've just been something she'd seen happening at home. Jasper shook his head.. "Where do you want to start?" He pretended not to have noticed the look at all.

"Anywhere you want." Alice allowed. "Within reason." She did have to give Jasper his limits. "How about the gazebo?" Jasper liked solitude. Even at this time of night, the resort was full of activity. Carlisle had spared no expense, when he'd arranged this little get away.

"Alice, can you tell me what you're seeing?" Jasper said now. He couldn't help it. "What's going on now?".

"It's not…home…" Alice said slowly. "There are more than two vampires here this weekend." Alice chose he words carefully. "They're planning…an all you can capture buffet, it seems. They must be new."

Jasper was up, and pulling a jacket on needlessly before Alice could finish. "We should leave, right now"

"Think of the innocent people, Jasper…" Alice said, interrupting him. "We have to do everything we can to keep the knowledge of vampires a secret, right? We can protect them in the process." Alice had seen more than just what they had planned. It had already started. She was pacing. "Why can we never catch a break? If it's not Bella, it's someone else trying to expose us all to the world."

"It's a simple solution, Alice. We just leave." Jasper said again, proceeding to try and calm his mate. "We don't have a responsibility to any of these humans. The only human we had a responsibility to is one of us now." Though, Jasper suddenly did feel like they should do something, if not save them all. He suddenly remembered Emma Volding, and her mother. They would be in danger. Newborn vampires didn't discriminate between children and adults.

"Can you honestly say you feel no responsibility at all?" Alice asked now. She had noted the change in Jasper's facial expression. "What is it?"

"You're right. We're not talking about just adults here. There are a lot of children here this weekend too. There is at least one person here I can't allow to be hurt…" He said. "Do you remember that little girl in the lobby?"

Alice smiled. "I do. She really seemed to like you." It had been odd for both Alice and Jasper to have the girl want to talk to them. Alice had been fascinated with her, because she never bothered to worry about whether they were dangerous or not. She'd been oblivious. The idea that she'd feel the same way about a real threat made Alice shiver. "We need to do something to try and stop the killings." The couple left their barely used room, and started to explore the happy atmosphere of the resort, looking for the hidden darkness that laid in wait.

Three buildings down,in a smaller, quaint room, a terrified Emma cried silently in a closet, as a teenage girl attacked her mother, after killing the attending maid. Something wasn't right, and she felt it. Her mother screamed, and in the next instant, the room was completely silent. The young girl crawled into her mother's vacant bed, and sobbed herself to sleep.

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Roscoe blinked when he walked into the suite that he was sharing with his sister. "What is this, Marie? Are you trying to add to your guest list in another way?" His red eyes took in the woman convulsing violently in pain.

"We needed a mother…" Marie offered, her voice small. "Is it okay, Big brother?" She studied the woman silently.

"Indeed. She will be able to help us greatly…" Roscoe's eyes narrowed now. "Where is the child?" He didn't need her leaving surviving witnesses. "Well?!" Marie wasn't concerned with him anymore. She was stroking the woman's damp hair lovingly. "Marie! The little girl. Where is she?"

"Oh, I left her. She was screaming too much. It hurt my ears." Marie shrugged nonchalantly at this. "You can make me a sister, if you want…"

"No." Roscoe grabbed Marie roughly, and threw her into a chair across the room. "You idiot! Do you realize what would happen if she went for help? We'd get into trouble! No, you don't get a sister. You got your wish, dear sister. Now, I'm going to take care of our witness." He turned and left the room, slamming the door. _Thank you, Marie. I haven't tasted the intoxicating blood of a child in a very long time. This is a grand present you have given to me._ He grinned viciously, and headed to the room where he knew the child would be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Alice had a foreboding feeling as they crossed the grassy path towards the main house. She tried not to convey this to Jasper. But it was hard. Jasper was keeping tabs on her emotions. She stopped just outside the main house, and turned to face him. "I don't know where they're planning to have this thing, but I know there is a grand ball room in the main house somewhere. That'd be the place, if it was me."

"Yeah." Jasper narrowed his eyes, worry apparent. "I don't smell them anywhere." He seemed even more alarmed at that." He ran a hand through his unruly hair, and sighed deeply. "Alice, this is too big for just us. We should call the others."

Alice nodded. "You're probably right." In a fluid movement, she had her phone out, and was speaking quietly to Carlisle about the situation .Jasper listened, and was surprised when Alice mentioned the child in the lobby. He looked around, while she talked. He thought he'd heard….

"Emma!" He didn't wait for Alice. He ran as fast as he could, heading back towards their building He didn't even notice Alice follow him a split second later. He paused only briefly in front of the door where he heard the screaming.

"They're on their way. Emmett, Carlisle and Edward are coming." Alice had caught up with her husband, and she stared at the door. "We can't wait that long. What if she gets hurt?"

"On it." Jasper broke the door in, and let loose with a ferocious growl, meant to startle whoever was in the room. It worked. He found himself facing a young boy with curly brown locks. "Who are you?"

"None of your business." The boy sputtered, glaring at the intruder. "Marie warned me about you two. You won't stop me from throwing her birthday just the way she wants it." He glared at the human child that laid curled up in the bed. She was screaming in terror. "Will you shut up?!"

"You'd be screaming too if you were terrified. Where is the girl's mother?" Jasper asked fiercely. He watched Alice go over and scooped the girl up silently. "Well?" He nodded to Alice. His wife was wanting to take Emma out of the room. He thought that was a pretty good idea. He wasn't so sure he could control his temper much longer, and he didn't want Emma to see what he might end up doing. "Answer me. Where is she?!"

"She is no longer human. She should be waking up about now..." The boy replied. A cold smile played on his lips. "I was going to offer her something better." His eyes darted to Alice's disappearing form. "But you've ruined that for me." He lunged, and was caught off guard, when Jasper hit him in the gut. "O-ow…" He fell back against a wall.

"What you're doing is wrong!" He glared at the boy, his eyes dark with fury. "The humans aren't supposed to know of our existence!"

"They ain't gonna live to tell about it!" The boy retorted. "My sister wanted this, and I can't disappoint her." He crouched, ready to fight again.

Jasper stood still. "It's not right." He was trying to pacify the boy, using his gift to manipulate his emotions.

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Meanwhile Alice was trying her best to calm the girl, without crushing her bones. "Shhh…" She stroked Emma's hair gently. She wished Jasper was there. He could take care of her emotions, and calm her. Alice had the feeling that Emma was not only consumed by her own fear, but she now carried Jasper's fury, and Alice's own panic over the situation at hand. She was about to suggest cartoons to Emma when there came a knock at the door. She held Emma in her arms as she answered the door to Edward, Carlisle and Esme. "Esme!" She was delighted. Another female to help her calm the girl.

"Emmett already went to help Jasper." Carlisle clarified Alice's unanswered question. His eyes were on the small child in his adopted daughter's arms. "And who is this pretty little thing?"

"This is Emma." Alice replied quietly. She held her out to Esme, who was reaching for her. "Her mother…was turned." She said the last part very quietly. "And there was another, who was going to kill her."

Edward snarled lightly. "I hope Jasper and Emmett destroy him good!" He looked over at Emma. "She could've passed for a young Bella, you know.."

"Read my mind…" Carlisle was checking Emma over for any serious injuries. "It looks like she might be alright"

"But what do we do with her?" Alice wondered out loud. "The Volturi will surely be wanting to dispose of her, after all this…" She said just loud enough for Edward to catch. Her adopted brother nodded.

"She's right." Esme frowned. She was watching silently. The girl with the brown eyes smiled gently up at the woman. Esme held her closely, trying to make her feel as secure as possible. "Sh."

Carlisle nodded at some silent exchange between himself and Edward. "That seems logical. If we raised her, and kept her from finding out anything else…" He turned to Esme. "But why not let Alice and Jasper raise her?"

Alice's golden eyes lit up. "Really, Carlisle? I think it would be really good for Jasper! And Renesmee would have a playmate."

"Indeed. This could work out really well." Carlisle nodded, just as the door opened. Jasper and Emmett came in looking smug. "I trust you took out both of them?"

"Well. There were three…" Jasper looked really distraught. One of the three had been the child's mother. "How is she?"

"Truly traumatized…" Esme reported, before holding the girl out to Jasper. "Maybe you can be of assistance to her…" When Jasper hesitated, she smiled encouragingly. "You can help her."

Jasper very carefully took the little girl into his arms, and hugged her gently, trying to project a feeling of calm, and security. Most of all, he wanted to project a sense of safety in his arms. He glanced over at Alice. His wife was watching him very silently, pleased for some reason. "What is it?" He had Emma's head on his shoulder, moving back and forth gently with her.

"Esme and Carlisle have given their blessing for us to take Emma in as our own." She walked over. Emma was calmer now. All that remained of her hysteria was occasional sniffling. The little girl was nestled comfortably in Jasper's arms.

"I don't know, Alice…" Jasper said slowly. He put one hand in Emma's hair, and stroked the girl's soft locks, continuing to project the feeling of security to her. "What makes you think that's a good idea…?"

"Well. Do you remember what happened the last time a human found out about us?" Alice was referring to Bella. "After what happened with Bella, I can't say that this is the best solution, but the more obvious one is too cruel." Alice touched a cool hand to Emma's cheek. The girl was asleep in Jasper's arms. "Do you realize what you've just done?" She smiled.

Jasper smiled lightly, and he laid the little girl down gently on the bed, and covered her up. "Well. I can't see where the trouble would come from…She's young enough we can teach her things. And Renesmee will be able to help her, being half human."

"I have Renesmee's car seat in the back.." Edward offered now. He had been mostly quiet. He hated to see innocent children having their lives upset by their kind. When he'd heard that there was a child involved, he'd been hesitant. Getting a child involved n their world was illegal, and punishable by death. In the end, he'd gone with his parents and adopted brother. "Rose is going to have a problem with it…"

"Let me take care of Rose." Emmett replied. He'd crossed over to the bed, and was studying the little girl. "She's young…"

"Indeed." Carlisle nodded. "Jasper and Alice can handle this. I'm sure of it." He smiled at his adopted children. "We should get out of here now."

"Right.." Alice looked troubled now. "But what do we tell her when she wakes up, and we're not here anymore?"

"The truth, as much as needed." Carlisle replied. "Can you boys show me where they were staying? We'll need to bring some of her things with us…"

"Right." Emmett looked at Jasper. "Do you want me to go?" He could see Jasper was reluctant to leave his new responsibility.

"Yeah…take Edward and Alice with you. They'll know better what she'll need…" Jasper sat in a chair next to Emma. "Carlisle..are you sure no harm can come to her if we do this? The Volturi won't think….?"

"And if they do, we'll just prove that she's fine." Esme replied for her husband. The young looking woman came and gently smoothed the little girl's curls. "She's so precious…"

"She is…" Carlisle smiled. "Jasper, this will be good for you, you know."

Jasper shrugged, and began to gather up his and Alice's luggage. _I still don't know how good this will be for any of us. The closest we'd come to raising a human was having Bella around. This will be totally different. We'll have to be careful of everything we say and do from here on out. _He glanced to the girl's sleeping form, and allowed himself a smile. It would be nice to feel wanted and needed by someone other than Alice. He put the last of their clothing away in the suitcase, and turned to take it to their car.

* * *

Alice and Edward returned with a small suitcase of the child's clothing a bit later, and a few toys too. "The poor things hadn't even had time to unpack completely." Alice said quietly to her husband as Jasper added the girl's suitcase to their trunk.

"It is a shame…" Jasper nodded. "I wish we'd been able to stop the whole thing from happening." He went back into their room. Emmett was talking to the young girl, who was awake.

"You like riding horses? That's cool. Well, I can't promise horses where we're going, but it's very nice." Emmett glanced up at Jasper. "She's cute. Just like Nessie." He reached over, and ruffled her hair a bit, grinning. Emma responded, giggling a little. She liked the one called Emmett a lot.

"Yeah…" Jasper went over, and knelt to her level. "You ready to come away with us?"

Emma considered her answer for a long moment. She had a lot of questions. Like, who were these other people with Jasper and Alice? But the most important and most urgent one was about her mother. She didn't ask it right away. She wasn't sure she was ready for the answer. She finally nodded. Whatever their intentions, even the six-year-old understood it was well meaning. "Where are we going?"

"Oh, to a small town called Forks, Washington." Alice knelt down to help her into her jacket. She zipped her up. "But the house you're about to move into is huge."

Emma nodded. She was familiar with large houses. She'd been living in them for as long as she could remember. She held out her hand to Alice, who took it. She flinched just slightly. The girl's hand was cold, like ice. "Is…?" She wanted to ask if Jasper was going to be coming with them. She hadn't missed the hesitancy both times he'd handled her.

"Hmm?" Alice blinked, noting her hesitancy in asking the question she wanted to. She guessed questions weren't something her elders had allowed before.

"She's wanting to know if Jasper is coming too…" Edward said quietly to his sister. "She felt his reluctance about the situation."

"Jasper just needs time…" Alice replied so quietly that only Edward heard her.

Jasper smiled lightly, taking her from his wife. He slipped her hood on over her head to cover her from the rain. "I wouldn't let Alice go anywhere without me." He held her gently, as he and the rest of the family left the room. He let Edward help him get her settled in the car seat. "Thanks, Edward…" His brother nodded silently, and got into the second car with his other family members. Jasper got into the driver's seat of his and Alice's car, and they left, heading back to their home. His last thought was one of irony. They'd gone to get away from the family. Instead, they were bringing more family home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Emma was wide eyed when they pulled into the large Cullen mansion a few hours later. It wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting. Jasper drove into a large garage that held more cars than Emma had ever seen one household own. All at once, she was apprehensive. The trip to the house had gone without incident. Jasper and Alice had made sure she had the things he needed such as food and bathroom breaks. She had gotten to know Alice and Jasper well, and during the rest stops, she spent time with Emmett and Edward Cullen. Edward didn't say much, but Emmett made sure she got her exercise. She leaned her head back against the car seat, and let out a silent sigh.

"Alright, Emma. We're here." Alice said needlessly, breaking into Emma's silent worries. She got out, and came around to start freeing their new charge of her restraints. The girl noted how nervous and quiet Emma had become, and she wondered if she was clocking in how tense Jasper himself had become. "Jazz, can you get the stuff out of the trunk?" She paused suddenly, and casually glanced over to the door that led to the kitchen. Rosalie was having a fit. She turned her gaze to Emmett, who nodded. He was already on it. She took Emma's hand as she crawled out of the car. She was pleasantly surprised when the girl didn't flinch at her chill again. Maybe she was already accepting they were different. She led Emma inside the house.

The house opened right up to Emma. The kitchen led into a formal dining room, which in turn led to a living room. It seemed to go on and on. She didn't have a lot of time to ponder just how big the house might actually be. She was instantly surrounded by new members of the family she hadn't met. A girl with brown hair came up to he r first, squatting to her level. "Hey there, little one. I'm Bella Cullen."

"I'm Emma Mallory Volding." Emma replied softly. She was suddenly feeling intimidated. She buried her face in the folds of Alice's skirt. Alice smiled gently, laying a hand on her head. "She's had a big day."

"Aww…come on, Em. They're not going to hurt ya!" Emmett said now. He came out of one room, and came over to her. He squatted to her level, pulling her gently from Alice's side. "Bella's pretty cool. She arm wrestles like a girl though." He grinned as Bella gave him a playful swat. It widened when he saw Emma relax just a little. He nodded to someone from behind Bella. "Hey, Nessie."

The girl Emmett had addressed as Nessie came out from behind Bella, and studied the newcomer for a moment before she began to speak. "Hello, Emma. I'm Renesmee Cullen. Edward and Bella are my parents."

"It's nice to meet you both." Emma said now, addressing the mother and daughter. She felt a slight pang of sadness. She would never see her mother again. She was certain of that. She hoped Renesmee knew how lucky she was to have Bella with her. Renesmee must've noticed her change of expression because she scooted over to Edward, and started talking in such quiet tones, Emma couldn't pick it all up. The girl got the distinct impression that they were talking about her. She moved closer to Emmett, as the final member of the little welcoming committee approached. She had blonde hair. Emma had never seen anything so pretty in her life.

"I'm Rosalie." The tall girl said calmly. "Emmett is my husband." She was studying the child with a look Emma did not understand. It felt as though she was trying to figure out how long she would have to put up with her.

"This is Emma." Emmett said for the child now. He was silently conversing with his wife, pleading with her to be a little kinder. He picked Emma up then, however. "I think they were doing some drafting for this baseball season. Let's go check it out."

Emma didn't know what he meant by that, but she was glad to get away from the one called Rosalie. She didn't seem to like or want Emma there. "Your house is huge…"

Emmett chuckled. "You'll get used to it." He took her into a room far from the kitchen, and sat her on the couch there. "Now, let's see who's playing." He turned on the TV, and sat back to check on his sports stats. He idly put an arm around Emma, in his attempt at making her feel comfortable. He may not have had the same gift as Jasper, but he knew apprehension when he saw it. Her encounter with Rosalie had made her hesitant about being here. "Looks like we're getting a few new players this season." He said this more to himself.

Emma idly watched the TV, though every so often, she let her gaze wander around the room, memorizing the way it was decorated, and the things that ran along side it. There was another hall way out, and she wondered where it went. She yawned at length, and allowed herself to rest comfortably against Emmett.

"You can sleep if you want, Em." Emmett said, carefully helping her out of her jacket. He didn't want to hurt her. He laid the jacket across the arm of the couch, and then laid her head in his lap. "You probably need it." He smiled.

That was the last thing Emma heard. The TV in became background noise, dulling to a hum, as she finally gave in to sleep.

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It was many hours before Emma woke up. The girl was disoriented, and with good reason. She didn't remember where she was at first. She sat up. The TV was off, the room was dark. She wondered if Emmett had left after she'd fallen asleep. She blinked, feeling something warm on top of her. Someone had come and put a blanket on her. She glanced to the open window. A fine stream of moonlight came in, just barely penetrating the dark.

"It's nearly midnight now." Alice's kind voice startled Emma. The girl flitted silently to the couch, and sat next to her. "We were going to move you, but Esme thought it would be better just to let you sleep here. How are you feeling?" She and Jasper had taken turns keeping watch over her. He'd gone hunting an hour ago, needing to be sure that he'd be okay once she woke up.

"I'm….not sure…" She blinked. It just dawned on her that she hadn't seen Jasper since they'd gotten home. Emmett had taken over. Another question. She wanted to know if Emmett had finished watching what he wanted after she fell asleep.

"I'm…not sure." The silhouette of Alice's head turned towards the entry way. "It's alright, Jasper. She's awake." Alice scooted over so that Jasper could sit. Her husband remained standing. She stood up on her toes, and made like she was going to give him a kiss. Instead, she whispered low enough to keep it between her and Jasper. "She can sense your unease…"

Jasper nodded, and replied. "I know…" He was trying to keep his own emotions in check, and keep her calm as well. It wasn't so easy. He took a slow breath, and tried again. He let himself sit down next to Emma. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh huh." Emma nodded slowly. She could feel that Jasper was tense. "Did you sleep good too?"

Her question caught Jasper off guard. He didn't respond at first. He was trying to think of a good way to answer it, when he and Alice became aware at the same time that Emma's little stomach was growling, begging to be full. Jasper stood up again. "You should take her into the kitchen, and get her something to eat."

"Why don't you come with us…?" Alice asked. She was worried about Jasper. He hadn't been able to stay in the room with Emma for long periods of time a all. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. She put his hand in hers. "Come on, Jasper. You're not going to get used to her, nor help her adjust if you don't try…we're all here to help."

"Yeah, I know…" Jasper sighed deeply. "I'm…just not ready." He wondered for the first time if this was how Edward had felt when he met Bella. Jasper had never taken much time to think about how hard that must've been for Edward. Any wrong move on either of their part, and Bella would've ended up dead, instead of a part of them. The trick here was that Emma didn't even know what kind of danger she was in now. The truth of the matter is that Jasper was probably more dangerous than either of those two he and Alice had rescued her from.

"It's alright," Alice assured him, "you won't hurt her." She turned to Emma then. "Come on, let's get you something to eat." She took her into the kitchen. She hoped Jasper would follow, but she never pressed him if he felt uncomfortable, which at this point, he obviously did.

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Esme glanced up from the cutting board as Alice brought in the newest member of their family. "Hey there. How did you sleep, little one?"

"Good." She was standing closer to Alice. Rosalie was in the room, and even with her back to her, she could tell the girl still wasn't thrilled with her presence. She let Alice pick her up, and put her at the breakfast bar. She watched Bella and Esme as they cut up some fruit.

"We weren't sure what you liked. So, we're hoping this fruit salad will be good…" Bella explained, and she showed Emma the plate she'd started. "Do you like these?"

Emma studied the fruit presented to her. The plate had quite a few that she was very fond of. Strawberries, grapes, apples, and banana. But it didn't hold her favorite fruit. She nodded to Bella. "My favorite is kiwi fruit, though…" She felt Rosalie tense immediately. She turned to face her. "I'm…sorry…"

"No need to apologize!" Esme said quickly, giving her daughter a stern look. "It will take time for all of us to get used to each other. Bella, dear, why don't you check in the fridge. Maybe Carlisle had brought in some…"

Emma heard some noise from the other room, and then a voice she couldn't figure out yet. "Who's that..?"

"Oh, that's my father, Carlisle." Alice said now, as Carlisle walked in. "How did your walk go?" Like Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle had also gone hunting. They usually spent more time on it than this but they were all a little off schedule. When they had Emma acclimated, they'd go back to their normal schedules.

"Very well, thank you." Carlisle smiled at Emma now. "Did you find the couch comfortable enough for you?"

The girl merely nodded, as Alice set the plate of sliced fruit in front of her. She wasn't sure exactly how she felt about Carlisle, whom she learned was a doctor. Doctors were tricky people. They could make you believe anything they wanted. She began to eat silently.

Alice sat down next to her at the breakfast bar, and smiled. Everything was going smoothly so far, except for Jasper's behavior. It concerned her greatly that Jasper was suddenly more cautious. Back at the hotel, he hadn't thought anything of it, when he picked her up, and comforted her. She tried to conceal her worry, but if Edward or Jasper even had been in there at that moment, they would've been able to sense it. "After you're done, maybe I can give you a tour of the place, and a bath. Would you like that?"

Emma nodded slowly. She still had so many questions. She wasn't sure when she could ask them, or if they would answer when she did. They hadn't said much to her about why they'd brought her there, instead of calling the police. It gave her the impression she'd seen something she shouldn't have. But she didn't understand it at all. "Do you have bubbles?"

"Bubbles?" Alice repeated, glancing over at Esme, who was joining Carlisle now. "Do we?" Alice, of course, hadn't missed the hesitation. Her foster daughter had questions. She would find out from Edward exactly what they were, and try to find a way to answer them that wouldn't put her in danger with the Volturi.

"We just might…" Esme was trying to remember if Jacob had used bubbles the last time he'd given Renesmee a bath. "We can check. If we don't have bubble bath, I still know a way to make them." She smiled at Emma now. "Slow down, sweetie. The fruit isn't going anywhere." The girl had finished almost the entire plate. She turned to Rosalie now. "You might want to get her some more watermelon, Rose. She really seems to like that."

Rosalie said nothing to this. But she muttered under her breath. "Good thing we're used to housing humans…"

"Yes it is a good thing, since your niece is…" Alice said now. Her voice was sharp, and it sounded just wrong coming from her. She said no more, as Jasper came into the kitchen. "She liked the fruit."

"Great." Jasper smiled, sitting next to Emma on the other side. He watched her eat the remainder of her grapes and banana. "Are you going to show her the room that will be hers?" Jasper asked Alice. He didn't take his eyes off of Emma. He had to learn control. If he was going to be a father figure to her, it was the only way he could make it work.

"Well. I was thinking I might give her a soothing bubble bath first." Alice said now. Her eyes were alight with excitement. Clearly, his wife was having a ball playing mother to the girl. He had to smile at that.

"Sounds like a logical thing to do." He nodded his approval. He was most interested in Emma's emotions. They were all over the radar now that Emmett wasn't there. She seemed to trust Alice, but the others in the room, aside from himself and Alice, of course, made her feel uncomfortable, and ill at ease.

"Jasper…" Emma was tugging on his arm lightly. "Are you mad at me?" Her lower lip was sticking out. "Did I upset you?"

The kitchen grew quiet, and Jasper felt like he had been backed into a corner. How did he explain his thinking to such a child? He couldn't possibly make her understand without revealing the truth of the family. And even if he did reveal the truth, there was no guarantee she'd take it right at this age. He stood up. "No, Emma. It's not you…" He suddenly turned, and walked quickly away from the kitchen. "I'll be in the garage. Come and get me after her bath." A few minutes later, Emma heard a door shut.

Emma's lower lip quivered slightly. "I did do something wrong…he doesn't like me anymore…" She felt tears spring to her eyes, and she tried to wipe them away before anyone saw. But she wasn't fast enough. Before she could get up off the stool to flee, Esme, Alice and Bella were there, Alice hugging her gently, and the other two saying soothing words.

"Jasper…doesn't hate you, Emma. It's quite the opposite, actually…" Alice said slowly. "He doesn't really…know how to deal with children yet." Alice picked her up, and held her gently, stroking her hair. "Shh…" She felt Emma break down, and her heart broke for her. Jasper would have to help her understand him somehow. "Don't cry…" She knew Jasper would feel bad if he knew he'd made Emma cry.

"What's going on here?" Emmett came into the kitchen now. He'd wanted to ask Jasper about a game of baseball the next day. "What happened?"

"Jasper's having a bit of trouble dealing with sudden fatherhood." Carlisle said meaningfully to Emmett. "Maybe you and Edward should go and talk to him." He knew Emmett would get the real meaning behind his words.

"Yeah…." Emmett went over to Emma though, and ruffled her hair soothingly. "I'll straighten Jazz out for you, Em." He left then, to find Edward.

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Edward and Emmett found Jasper in the garage, as he promised. Edward approached him. He could see Jasper's thought process, and knew that his brother was upset with himself for not being able to handle his better. "She really loves you, Jazz."

"You don't think I know that?" Jasper said now. He didn't turn around. Carlisle had sent them. He was sure of that. "I…don't think I can do this. Maybe we should've taken her to a local homeless shelter or something…"

"It's too late for that now." Emmett spoke up now. "Jazz, she thinks you hate her." He went to stand in front of his brother. "She's really confused already, but things are only getting more complicated for her, with you acting like this."

"What do you want me to do, Emmett? Should I just pretend everything about this is okay? Do you realize how much danger we've just put her in, bringing her here?" And Jasper knew he was the real danger to the child. If she fell, or cut herself, he couldn't promise he'd be able to handle it.

"You've never hurt Bella or Renesmee." Edward pointed out. " You have more control than you give yourself credit for, Jasper." Edward put a hand on his shoulder. "There's a very scared little girl in there right now that really needs you. It's not you she's afraid of. She needs the reassurance of both you and Alice, before she'll fully trust the rest of us."

"She already trusts Emmett." Jasper muttered. He hated to admit it, but he did envy Emmett slightly for being able to resist the things he cannot yet. "He won't try to eat her…"

"Jasper, neither will you." Emmett said firmly. "You have all us here to make sure she remains safe. But you can't keep ignoring her…"

Edward nodded in agreement. "You're always worried about the rest of us. I think it's time we return the favor." He sat on the counter now. "You should be there for her. This is a difficult time for her, and she needs the support of her friends. If you can't be a father figure to her, then just be her friend. Look, when Renesmee was born, as worried as I was about Bella's transition, I was also worried about being a father. I wouldn't have been able to do that without all of you guys supporting me. Let us help you."

Jasper finally turned to face them. "But what I'm not strong enough? What if we're just kidding ourselves?" He wasn't ready to put an innocent child in that kind of danger. Emma deserved better. If anything, he wanted Emmett to take over t taking care of her.

"Find the strength." Edward said quietly. He remembered that first summer with Bella. When James had bitten her, and he'd had to take care of the venom before it spread and made her immortal prematurely. Carlisle had told him in his moment of hesitation to find the strength to stop before he killed her. "I can see inside you, Jasper. You really love this little girl. When you love someone that much, you find the strength to do what you need to do. Take it from someone who knows." He turned, and went back inside. He needed to see Bella now, reminded of that night, he realized just how lucky he was, and how strong Bella had made him. He could only hope Emma would do the same for Jasper.

Emmett watched Edward go, before he turned to back to Jasper. "If you think about that night at the birthday party we had for Bella, most of us almost lost control too. It might not have felt that way to you, but even Alice had to leave Bella's side, for fear of being tempted. Jasper, it comes with the territory of being what we are. But we have Nessie here, and we've had humans in the house before. You can do this, brother. I have faith in you. Find it in yourself to be strong enough/" He turned to leave Jasper alone with his thoughts.

Jasper watched him go, and he sighed deeply, pacing. He knew Edward and Emmett were right. Emma probably did need him now more than ever. She was gifted with empathy, and they complimented each other's talents for the most part. He glanced to the door, and then sighed. He needed to go in there, and be a friend to her. Maybe fatherhood would come on it's own, but he wasn't ready to push it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

By the time Jasper got back inside, and had better control of his thought process, Emma was immersed in a bubble bath. Alice was in the spare bedroom, making up the girl's bed. He lingered in the doorway. "I'm…sorry."

"I know. It's okay." Alice glanced up at him. "Are you alright?" She was concerned about him. She knew he wanted to help Emma, and to be there for her. But she also knew how hard it was going to be on him.

"Don't worry about it, Alice." Jasper advised, taking in the mood she was in. "When she comes out, I'll talk to her."

"Alright." Alice looked at the clock. "Her schedule is going to be completely off from here on in…" This seemed to bother Alice. "I wanted her to keep as normal a life as possible." She frowned slightly.

"We'll work it out." Jasper replied. He sat on the edge of the newly made bed. "It's just going to take some getting used to." He took Alice into his arms. "Are you truly happy with having her here?"

"Yeah." Alice smiled. "Do you think she'll be happy with us?" Alice knew they'd never be able to completely replace her family. They wouldn't try. She just hoped Emma would accept them one day as her new family.

"Well." J asper chuckled lightly now. "She loves Emmett." He looked up, hearing some giggling in the bathroom. "Let me guess…Emmett's in there?" He raised an eyebrow at this.

"Yep, but he just went in there long enough to help her wash her hair. I was going to do it, but he insisted." Alice grinned.

"Oh." Jasper kissed the top of Alice's head. "Parenthood really seems to suit you." He was glancing around Emma's room. It was already decorated with ornate dolls, and he was willing to bet there would be new clothes in the closet the very next afternoon.

"It suits you too." Alice assured him. "She might just think of both of us as friends for a while anyway."

"Alice! She's done." Emmett called out, coming out of the bathroom. "She is too adorable." He saw Jasper in the room then. "Hey Jazz. Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I guess. Listen, guys. After you have her dressed again, can I get some time alone with her?" He wanted to gauge Emma's true feelings about him for himself. Then he wanted to have a talk with her. He wasn't sure what he'd say to her without revealing anything he shouldn't. He figured it would probably come out naturally.

"Sure, Jazz." Emmett nodded. "I'm right down the hall if you need me." He turned and went to see Rosalie. He knew his wife was not very happy with all the time he'd been giving Emma. It was time to make up for it.

****************************************************************************

Emma came into Jasper and Alice's room, wearing a long flannel nightgown. Her hair was neatly braided into a ponytail which frilled at the end with the curls she had. She studied Jasper from the doorway. He was looking through a magazine. Alice had told her to go right in. "Jasper…?" Her voice was soft, almost timid.

Jasper glanced over. He offered a kind smile, by way of a peace offering. 'How about a truce, hmm?" He came over, and picked her up. "I feel really horrible about how things have gone for you since you've been here where I'm concerned." Emma was uncertain of him now. He intended to correct that as best as he could. "Did you have a nice bath?"

Emma nodded. "Uh huh. Emmett blew bubbles." She grinned. That was one thing she did love about being here, as opposed to her former home. She wasn't lacking in the love and attention department anymore. She thought about how Esme, Bella and Alice had all hovered over her when she'd started crying earlier. That would've never happened at home. She looked up at Jasper. He puzzled her. She just didn't understand why he was suddenly avoiding her.

Jasper sighed silently to himself, and he paced with her slowly. "I'm sorry, Emma. I'm sure you must be really confused right now…"

"Did I make you mad at me…?" Emma asked now. She'd asked the question before. She hoped he wouldn't leave again.

"No, darlin', you didn't." He sat down with her in a chair. "What did Alice tell you?" He wondered if his mate had given her any explanation at all for his behavior.

"She said you weren't used to children much…" Emma replied slowly. She had the distinct feeling there was a lot more to it than that. She was studying Jasper's facial expressions, clocking in any change of mood or feeling. He didn't flinch.

_Well, that would make sense, except for the fact that Renesmee is here most of the time, and she is my niece But Em doesn't know that. _"Well, that's partly true. I've never been a father, Emma." He decided to expand on Alice's explanation. It was the best one he could give her for now. "I've never even considered raising a family apart from Alice and myself."

"You don't want me…?" Emma started to get down. She'd leave if Jasper didn't want her. She'd never wanted to irritate him or make him uncomfortable. Though, he did intrigue her. She wondered how she always managed to feel calmer around him.

Jasper quickly amended his statement. "No, I mean, I've changed my mind." He pulled her close to him, being careful to monitor his strength. "I've never wanted anything as much as I've wanted to have you stay with us." He relaxed a little, when she laid her head against his chest. "What do you think of staying with us forever?"

The question caught Emma off guard. She'd realized early on that the Cullen family had always intended on keeping her with them. Though she hadn't gotten up the nerve to ask why, she always felt somehow what they were doing was wrong, and illegal. At the same time, Emma didn't feel like she was in any immediate danger. She had the strongest notion if anything bad was going to happen, it would have already. She knew Emmett and Jasper in particular were very protective of her already. "I'd like that…" She said softly, hugging Jasper close. "I like you and Alice. And the others. Except Rosalie." She made a face as an image of the blonde came into her head. "She's not nice."

Jasper laughed at that. "Yeah, well. That's Rose. She's my twin sister, and we haven't quite gotten her guest trained yet." He heard a loud bang against the wall. Emmett and Rosalie were listening in the next room over. Rosalie had overheard Jasper's jab. His smile widened a bit. "I think she heard us." He stood up, setting her on her feet. "Alice and I did something for you…" He took her by the hand led her to the room on the other side of them. He released her into the room, and watched quietly as she looked around. She was quiet for a long time, and he began to wonder if they'd done something wrong. "Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful…" Emma breathed. "I like the dolls…" She picked one up, and blinked. She recognized it. "Hey, this is mine…" When had they gotten that from the hotel room without her knowledge?

"Yep!" Alice was in the doorway now. Jasper was holding her close, as they watched Emma move from one part of the room to the other, exploring everything. She smiled up at Jasper. "I take it the talk went okay?"

"More or less." Jasper replied. His mood had definitely improved. He glanced up, hearing Edward and Emmett talking. "Baseball sounds good…" He then glanced at Alice. "But what about Emma…?"

"I had thoughts on that." Esme said now. She was coming in from the kitchen. By now, the massive hallway contained almost the entire household. Bella, Renesmee and Carlisle were the only missing members. "If you guys could maybe lay her down for a nap, ad come in the living room..it's time for a family meeting." Esme had talked to Carlisle about having Emma living there, and trying to keep things from her. Her position was that it wasn't okay. Carlisle had agreed. After all, they were sure Emma had questions about her former mother. Alice had told them that she'd seen what looked to be a human attacking her mother. They couldn't explain it away as an animal, even if they had intended to.

Jasper blinked, looking over at Alice. Esme couldn't seriously be thinking about exposing them so soon? He glanced at Edward. His brother wore a similar expression of disapproval. But they would be no discussion of it. It was apparent Carlisle and Esme had already reached their decision. "Emma, come here, little one."

Emma went straight to Jasper's side without hesitation. She had the sense that something important was about to happen. Jasper looked a little worried. "Are we going to watch baseball?" She glanced at Emmett, wondering.

"Yep, but first, you need to take a nap." Alice said. She picked her up, and laid her down in the freshly made bed. "I'm sorry your schedule is a little messed up right now. We'll get it fixed right up."

"We'll be right in the living room if you need us, okay, Emma?" Jasper said quietly,as he began to give off feelings of relaxation in her general direction. He kept at it, slowly moving to the door. He saw her slowly close her eyes, even if it was reluctant. He closed her bedroom door silently. He followed Alice out to the living room. _I don't think we're going to like what Carlisle and Esme are about to say. In fact, I can guess what it might be. I guess we'll just have to try and understand their view point. _

**********************************************************************************************

Esme and Carlisle smiled warmly at Jasper and Alice. "We've come to a decision." Carlisle began. He shifted slightly on the couch. "We think it would be best if we tell her the truth as soon as possible." He studied their faces. Jasper was clearly aghast at the idea. Alice merely looked intrigued.

"But what about the rules?" Alice said after a minute or two of silence. "Telling her would sentence her to death." Alice squeezed Jasper's hand. She could feel her mate tense at the word death. It was the very thing they'd rescued her from in the first place.

"It is a possibility, yes." Carlisle acknowledged Alice's concern. "However, in the long run, it might be easier to help her adjust if she knew the truth." He turned to Jasper. "You know she's realized there's something very different about us."

"She has, but she hasn't bothered to question it…" Jasper began, his voice low. "Alice and I figured it was better if it was left unsaid until she did ask…" Jasper wasn't ready to give in to telling her. She was wary enough because of Rosalie. If for some reason the revelation of the truth went wrong, it could end badly for all of them. "Are you positive this is completely necessary?"

"No it's not." Rosalie said now. She had entered with Emmett. They were just coming back from hunting. Bella and Edward were behind them with Renesmee. "It's not a good idea at all."

"Rose…" Esme said now. "In the long run, the longer we keep the secret…you know we always have the possibility of a visit from the Volturi. Suppose that happened out of the blue, and she had no clue what was going on? Don't you think that would put her on even more edge?"

"But if we tell her, there certainly will be a visit." Rosalie insisted. She was not sure they'd be able to talk the Volturi down again. They had been extremely lucky with Renesmee. They wouldn't have such luck with a human child. Caius was not the most compassionate of their breed. "I'm not willing to let another human die for us." Her eyes shifted to Bella. "Sorry, Bella…"

"This was my choice from the beginning." Bella reminded her. She gave Rosalie what she hoped would be a comforting smile. Bella did have to agree with Rosalie, though. She didn't feel the immediate desire to put an innocent child into danger. "Is there not another way?"

"We've tried to think of one, but there really is no other alternative." Carlisle assured hr. He turned to Edward. "What has she been thinking about all of us, anyway?" He was naturally curious. Emma really hadn't talked much to any of them except Emmett, Jasper and Alice.

"Well. She is indifferent to you and Esme. She likes Jasper a lot, but she's been puzzled by his avoidance until earlier, apparently." Here, he paused, to give Jasper an approving smile. Jasper had found the strength to deal with the barrier he'd unintentionally created to keep Emma at bay. "She has a dislike for Rosalie, but if I'd been treated the way Rose treated her so far, I probably would too." He glanced at Rosalie. The blonde was looking slightly ashamed. "There's still time to fix it, Rose…" Edward told her. His voice was calm, and soothing. "She'll listen to you, just like she listened to Jasper." Edward was grateful that Emma was still young enough to be perceptive of others' emotions. He amended his thought, though. Emma had the same type gifts as Jasper. Though she could only feel other people's emotions. She couldn't manipulate. "She sees Emmett as an older brother. Apparently, she had an older brother at one time, but he was killed two years ago. Emmett really reminds her of him, which is why she's naturally drawn to him." Edward smiled at Alice now. "And you. She doesn't really know what to make of you yet. She likes you, she's just amazed at the energy you've put into making her feel happy. She's never had that before, unless she's thrown a fit, apparently."

"Daddy, what does she think of me and Mama?" Renesmee asked now. She could have very easily tried to find out herself, but Bella had insisted firmly that she didn't do anything that might scare the little girl.

"Well, she thinks it's neat that she has a playmate close to her age." Edward said, smiling at his daughter. Then he looked up at Bella. "And she thinks you cut good fruit." He chuckled at Bella's expression. "She likes you." Edward was glad to get all of the little girl's immediate perceptions of them out of his head. "She also thinks I don't want her here." He turned to Rosalie. "I've been a bit skeptical of this too, but I think Jasper and Alice can handle it well enough."

"She shouldn't be here! We could put her in a foster home. That'd be the right thing to do! Having her here is bad for all of us!" Rosalie all but shouted passionately.

"Stop yelling, you'll upset Renesmee." Bella pleaded.

"You can't just be happy for us, Rose?" Alice asked now. She was decidedly unhappy with her sister's reaction. "We love Emma."

"Exactly. You love her. That means you're going to hurt even more when the Volturi hand down their death sentence. There are no other options but that. They'd never allow us to change her."

"That's enough, Rose." Emmett said, coming in from his hunt. "Esme and Carlisle have already made their decision." He took her into his arms, and tried to sooth her. "I don't necessarily think it is the best decision myself, but if they think it is, we'll have to trust their judgment." He took her to their bedroom. He would try and calm her down further.

"The only question now is. How?" Jasper looked to his adopted parents. Did they have some special way they planned to tell the child? "Normally, we can't tell anyone, so we've never told anyone. Bella guessed all on her own, you remember." He had to give his sister-in-law credit. She had been determined that Edward was hiding something. She'd gone and done all the research she could.

"We haven't gotten that far. That's why we called this meeting." Carlisle explained. "We'll have to be delicate and precise at the same time." Carlisle shook his head. "There might not be an easy way except to be straight forward."

"But that might send her running." Bella said suddenly. "I mean…she's not me Her mother was killed by…"

"There is that…" Jasper muttered. His head snapped up. Emma was awake. Alice disappeared from his side in a split second. "Let's just think about it for awhile. Maybe one of us will come up with a tactful way…" He turned, and followed Alice.


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N: This chapter....Oh boy. I had some major help when I got stuck in this part. I give credit for this chapter to Iris Messenger. Thank you SO very much!!)**

**Chapter Six**

Emma awakened from her nap just before five o'clock. She knew, because someone had put a digital clock in her new room. She sat up, and crawled out of the bed. She could hear a TV somewhere. She padded silently out of the room, the door creaking as she opened it. She flinched. In the nearly silent house, the creak sounded frightening. She was used to hearing party chatter. Here, there was nothing.

"Hey, Emma." Jasper had her in his arms, before she could react to his sudden appearance. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Uh huh." Emma rubbed sleep from her eyes, and went back to hugging Jasper. "Why is it so quiet?" Jasper carried her into his and Alice's room. "Are they in bed?"

"Nope. They're out watching the weather report." He smiled. "Emmett has been waiting to take you outside." He set her down on the floor. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Emma?"

"I want you to go too." Emma responded clearly. She liked Jasper, and she was happy they were talking again. "You can come too, right?"

"Sure, if that's what you want…" Jasper glanced at Alice. His wife nodded her encouragement. He let Alice take Emma, and he went to consult with Emmett about the change of plans.

Emma watched him go, and then looked up at Alice. "Is he feeling better, Alice?"

"Yes, he is." Alice smiled kindly, brushing a hand through the little girl's hair. "Jasper just gets kind of moody when he's hungry. We took care of it while you were sleeping." She took Emma back to her bedroom to get her rain coat. She slipped it on for her. It felt unnatural to have to do that. It had been so long since Alice had thought of human needs such as cold and hunger. "I believe Esme's working on something for you for dinner, okay?"

Emma nodded, and then grinned, as Emmett came in, and scooped her up off her feet. "Hi, Emmett!" Somewhere behind them, she heard someone snort with disgust. She guessed it was Rosalie. She ignored her, remembering what Jasper had told her. "Are we going to go out now?"

"Yep!" He snuggled her as close as he dared, then gave her to Jasper. "I need to go talk to Rose. You two go ahead, I'll catch up." He squeezed Jasper's shoulder encouragingly when he suddenly looked hesitant. He whispered low in his ear. "You can do it, Jazz."

Jasper nodded only subtly, and then left with Emma in tow, heading to the woods. Emma chattered idly. Jasper tried to pay attention to what the child said. It was a good distraction for him. There was happy emotion just overflowing from her. Clearly, she enjoyed being there with them. He hoped with all his heart that it would not be the death of her. It was the last thing he and Alice wanted to see happen. "You saw a squirrel from you bedroom?" He said now, to distract himself, and to show that he was paying attention to his adopted daughter. "What did it look like, Em?"

"It was a baby." Emma reported. "It was so cute. But it looked like it had lost it's mother." She frowned now. "Jasper, do you think Mama's watching over me too?"

"I'm sure she is…" Jasper replied. He hated to be reminded of what had killed her mother. It made his upper lip curl angrily It sickened him, remembering that he had once been that way himself. Never caring who or what died at his hands. He took a few breaths to calm himself. He was grateful when he heard Emmett approaching. He needed to regroup.

Emmett saw that immediately. "Hey, Emma, let's go up ahead a bit, okay?" He led her away from Jasper, and smiled down at her. "Jasper wants some quiet. We can play up for a bit. Just me and you, okay?"

Emma nodded without question. She wondered if Jasper was hungry again. She let go of Emmett's hand, and bounded up ahead. It was nice to get away from the tension of the house. She wondered what in the world had caused so much unrest in the household. They all seemed to be a little unsettled, including Alice. She was about to turn around ask Emmett that, when something caught her eye. She had found a bear. She backed up considerably, but the bear had already seen her. "Em-Emmett…?" She backed up a little more. The bear followed.

Emmett wasn't too far behind her. He and Jasper had been talking, after the other vampire had come back, feeling calmer. His head snapped up suddenly, catching a whiff of something that wasn't supposed to be there. "What the…?!" His stomach and his hunger began to fill him. Then he heard her scream. "Emma!!" His primal instincts took over. "Jasper!"

Jasper was caught off guard. Emmett's sudden bloodlust overwhelmed him. He realized if he didn't get out of there, he'd take it out on the wrong thing. He hated himself, but, he had to run. He had to leave his terrified child there, and trust that Emmett himself would have control. He fled back towards the house.

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Emma was backed into a tree now. She was terrified, and shaking. "Someone help!" She screamed again. She didn't think she'd be able to move anymore. She was feeling like stone. The rain was cold, and her body was starting to feel numb as it was. Just when she thought she was going to become bear kibble, she saw something she wouldn't have believe otherwise.

Emmett leaped out of the brush, growling like an animal as he took the bear down in a quick maneuver. The bear whimpered in surprise, and fought uselessly. Emmett held it down violently, and began to feed off it. He was too immersed in what he was doing to realize Emma might've been watching. All he was thinking about was taking the bear down so it wouldn't harm what was theirs.

"Emmett!" Emma called out anxiously. She was truly terrified by what she was witnessing. Her gentle friend Emmett wasn't acting like himself. He had turned into some kind of animal. When Emmett didn't appear to hear her, she fell silent. All she could do was sit there, and watch. Now she wasn't sure what was mor frightening, the grizzly bear or the man who had protected her from it.

"Emma!" Alice came charging through the bushes with Edward at her heels. Jasper came too, but he went straight to join Emmett in draining the bear. Alice picked Emma up, and immediately began to comfort her, cooing softly in her ear. "Shh..shhh…it's okay. You're safe now. It'll be okay…" She held her as tightly as she dared without crushing her fragile human bones.

"She saw him…" Edward muttered quietly to Alice. "He didn't have a choice. She would've been dead."

"I know. I saw it myself…" Alice was berating herself for seeing this ahead of time. She went back to comforting Emma, as she swiftly carried her away from the scene, hoping she hadn't seen Jasper's feeding frenzy as well. She felt bad. Emma was terrified. Even she could feel that. You didn't need to be an empath to know it.

*******************************************************************

Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie were in the clearing, meeting them half way. Carlisle immediately checked Emma over for any major damage. "Did she…?"

"Yes. Emmett didn't have a choice." Edward filled them in, as Bella came rushing over with Renesmee on her back.

Rosalie glared. "And everyone here thinks this is such a great idea!"

"Not now, Rose. The damage has already been done." Carlisle replied sharply. "She's going to have questions after what she just witnessed. It's just like what happened with Bella and the van."

Renesmee was studying the quiet human girl silently. She could feel that she had many questions, and she wasn't sure how to begin asking. "My family bites." She said simply to Emma.

Emma blinked. She hadn't had the chance to talk to Renesmee much yet, and she barely spoke around her. "Bites..?" She thought about that. "But…"

Renesmee shook her head and put a hand on Emma's lips in a keep quiet gesture. She put a hand on Emma's temple to show her in her own special way. She was pleased when Emma didn't jerk away right away. In fact, Emma seemed more intrigued than frightened. She tried to make it so that her younger mind would understand. When she was done, she pulled away, and waited expectantly for the girl's reaction.

Emma was silent for a very long moment after Renesmee pulled away. Everything seemed to add up. The cold feeling of all of their skin, the fact they didn't seem to eat real food, their ability to appear out of the blue in seconds, and most of all, Emmett's ability to take down a grizzly with his bear hands. He had done it to save her. Then she thought of something else. She remembered Rosalie's angry feelings. Did she not want her to know…? What was she afraid of? Humans weren't supposed to know about the vampires. Renesmee had made that clear. She glanced at Rosalie, and the others in her adopted family. "Your secret is safe with me. I'd never tell anyone anything that'd get you in trouble."

"Good girl…" Carlisle said now, patting her on the head lightly. "I have to leave for the hospital again. I have night shift. You guys have a good dinner." He passed Jasper on the way. "She's aware of the situation now. It's okay."

"You told her?" Jasper blinked. Then he shrugged. He guessed Emma probably would've had questions after what Emmett had done. He glanced at Emmett, who wasn't too far behind him. "She knows, Emmett."

"Oh?" Emmett was still feeling guilty about acting so uncouth in front of the little girl. He was sure he'd be on her list of people to be afraid of now.

"She's okay." Jasper answered his uneasy feelings. "Renesmee explained things to her in her own way." He went over to Alice and Emma, hugging them both gently. "Hey, Emma…"

Emma immediately reached up for Jasper to take her. When he did, she snuggled up close to him. "I'll never be afraid of you, Jasper..no matter what."

_So very stupid, Emma…_The male vampire held her as close as he could stand. "That's good." He petted her hair. "Let's get you inside before you get sick. After all, you still have that, unlike us." He followed Alice, carrying Emma, and the family went inside to give Emma the best dinner they could muster together for her.

Emma was feeling a lot less threatened by Emmett by the time dinner was done and over. Now she was all curiosity, and awe. Emmett relaxed with her again and he felt better about being around her, when he saw that she didn't have any fear, or wasn't holding any grudges towards him for his actions. He allowed her to sit in his lap, as he sat on the floor at Rosalie's feet. "So…you still wanna stick around, huh?"

"Yes!" Emma said immediately without a thought about it. "I like you guys." She looked up at Rosalie. "And I don't care if you're vampires either." She smiled broadly. "Though I still can't believe you did that with your bare hands." She turned back to Emmett. "That was SO cool!"

Emmett smirked. "Heh. Yeah, it was kind of cool, wasn't it?" He held her closer. "I really am sorry if I scared you though…" He was serious. "I…just didn't know what to do…"

"It's okay, Emmett. I understand." She was half-heartedly picking through some Chex mix. Edward and Bella had gone into town after the danger had passed, to get some snacks they thought she might like.

"Is that stuff any good?" Emmett asked her now. He didn't like the smell of human food too much, but he was learning to deal between Renesmee and now Emma's eating habits.

"Yeah, but the raisins are yucky." She glanced over at Renesmee. "Do you want some?" The half-human girl shook her head.

"No thank you." She yawned. She was sleepy. "Mama, can we go back to the house now?" She let Edward pick her up. "Sleep good, Emma."

Emma nodded. "I will." And she always seemed to, these days. She still hadn't figured out how that happened. She did notice, however, it happened more often when Jasper put her to bed. She watched Edward and Bella leave with Nessie, and she sighed, leaning back against Emmett. "Emmett..is there something special about me?"

"Of course." Emmett looked down at her. "Why do you ask?"

"I overheard Carlisle and Jasper earlier. Carlisle said I was a lot like Jasper. But what does he mean?"

"Let me handle this." Jasper said now. He wandered over, and sat down on the floor, pulling Emma into his own lap. "What Carlisle meant by that is…well. You know how when you were scared, and then suddenly you weren't?"

Emma nodded. "Uh huh." She wondered where this was going.

"Well. I have the ability to shift the emotions of people around me. It's not a gift to take lightly, and a lot of times, it can be really hard to deal with." He pointed to herr now. "You have a gift called Empathy. It's basically the same thing as mine, except you can't control the emotions you feel from others. Carlisle and Esme allowed us to take you in because they thought we could help each other out."

"Alice has a gift too…" Emma said. It was a statement of fact. "I heard her talk about it."

""Alice has a very important gift that has helped all of us in a tight spot. She can see things before they happen." There was more to it, but Jasper didn't think she'd be able to understand. He would let Alice explain it at some point later. He stroked her hair a bit, as yawned. "Are you tired, Emma?" He glanced at their clock. She'd only been up for four hours after sleeping tweleve. She was definitely off schedule.

"I wanna stay up a little longer…" Emma said, even as she yawned again. She started to crawl back into Emmett's lap.

"I don't know, Em. You seem pretty tired to me." Emmett teased a little. He stood up with her in his arms. He heard Rosalie snort slightly, but he ignored it. He walked with Jasper to the girl's ornate bedroom. "Alice." He said by way of explanation.

"And she's not done yet. There's dress shopping tomorrow." Jasper chuckled, as he took Emma from him. "Alright, Emma. Time for bed, okay?"

"You promise you won't leave, right, Jasper?" She was getting herself settled into bed on her own.

"Not till you're sound asleep." Jasper replied, sitting in the chair that Alice had put in there specifically for that reason. They'd learned quickly that Emma didn't like to sleep alone. He began to hum a soothing tune as he put his gift to work, helping his daughter to feel more at ease.

"I never wanna leave, Jasper…" Emma said drowsily. "I wanna stay with you forever…"

"Shh…you don't have to go anywhere you don't want to go." Jasper soothed, stroking her hair, as he continued to let his gift work. He assumed that Emma had probably caught Rosalie's very plain disapproval of them telling her the truth, and then insisting that she stayed. He pulled away lightly, as he saw her eyes close with the same reluctance as last time. He wondered why she no longer liked to sleep, but he didn't have time to worry about that. He'd just thought of something. "I'll need to go out later tomorrow." He glanced at Emmet. "It's important for Emma's future with us."

"What's your plan?" Emmett followed his brother out into the hall.

Jasper leaned against the wall adjacent to his and Alice's suite, listening in case Emma woke up suddenly. "It's only going to be a matter of time before someone somewhere might start wondering where Emma disappeared to after her mother was killed, if they can even determine that's what happened. We need to make sure that we cover all basis." Jasper was going to need some faked documents. Emma still had one living parent, and it would be impossible now, with her knowing what she knew, to let her leave.

"Oh right, her father's still alive…" Emmet bit his lower lip. Now that he thought about it, what they had done could be classified as kidnapping, even if Emma had gone willingly. She was a impressionable child, and could be made to do things. That's how the law would've looked at it. Immediately, his thoughts went to Bella's father, a police chief. "Oh boy…."

"Yeah. Exactly." Jasper sighed. They hadn't really thought this whole thing through. He was glad to see that Emmett understood his point of view. "I'm going to go relax for a while." He gave Alice a kiss on the cheek, and went to their room to rest. Since vampires didn't sleep, he would just go into the room to read for a bit. Emmett and Alice could handle Emma for the time being. He began to write out a list of the things he and Alice would need to do, to make the "adoption" more official. _Abduction is more like it…_Jasper thought wryly. But she hadn't fought them on it, and that legally couldn't count as abduction. But they needed the documents as reassurance. He thought about the preparations he and Alice had helped Bella make in case of an emergency for Renesmee. He wondered idly if he and Alice ought to change her name. He shook his head. These were things that could be discussed on the way to see Jenks.


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N: This chapter was just as challenging as the last, when I realized I had no idea how to write out the awesomeness that is Vampire Baseball. It would've never happened without the wonderful talent that is Muse, and their awesome song, "Supermassive Black Hole" for inspiration. Thanks to everyone who has made this fic the success it has been thus far. Your support is greatly appreciated, and I am grateful.)**

**Chapter Seven**

"I like this one, and this one." Emma was walking excitedly at Alice's side in the children's department store. They were in Port Angeles.

"Hmm. Okay. We can get them both." Alice said, putting the two jumpers in her cart. "What else…?" She was thinking aloud. The cart was already full. Emma and Alice had already picked through the majority of the children's dresses. "Oh, I know!" She took Emma's hand in her free one, and pushed the cart towards the hair accessories. "We need to buy you some new bows."

Emma giggled at this. She thought Alice was neat, letting her pick out her own clothes, then making better suggestions anyway. "When is Jasper coming home?" Jasper had been gone before Emma was up that afternoon. It had upset her to wake up without him being there.

"He'll be home tonight." Alice said vaguely. She seemed to have her mind elsewhere. Emma wondered if these were the times when she saw things she never spoke of to her. "Come on. We're going to go visit the hairdresser."

"What about my bows…?" Emma asked, intrigued. She wondered what was going on. "Alice?"

"We'll get you some bows after we're done. Don't you think a nice haircut would be good?" In truth, Alice had seen what Jasper had decided to do at Jenks' office. They would need to take it a little further in case something went wrong in getting the documents. She wasn't really thrilled, but it was to protect their family, more than anything. She smiled brightly at Emma. "I bet you'd look really nice with a pixie cut."

"You want to cut my hair..?" Emma ran her hand through her curls. Her mother always kept her hair long. She said it was more lady like. She wasn't sure she wanted to go against her, even if she as dead.

Alice frowned. "It won't have to be too short." She needed Emma to be cooperative, if this was going to work. "Please? It could be a lot of fun." She smiled when Emma moved back to her side She smiled gently. "We're going to play a game okay? Let's see how cute you'll look with dark hair, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay!" She decided if it was just a game, it might be fun to look different for a little while. She followed Alice into the hair salon, not giving the game a second thought. She thought of how surprised Emmett would be when she came home, and she looked completely different.

*****************************************************************************

Jasper smiled approvingly as he saw Alice and Emma return from their shopping day. "Well well. Look at this. My two girls coming home from the first shopping spree together." He hugged Alice gently, and then scooped Emma up. "And that hair really does suit you." He kissed her on the top of the head, and smiled. His adopted daughter now sported a pixie cut very similar to Alice's, except she had had the girl's blonde hair dyed a brilliant rustic brown. She wore a hair band to add a bit of spunk. You could definitely tell Alice had had a hand in giving her the new look. "It looks great on you, Em."

"Is Emmett here? I want to show him!" She was anxious to see how Emmett, who had decided he had to be referred to as her big brother instead of uncle, would react. She was pleased that Jasper liked it so much though.

Jasper smirked. "He's watching the drafts, but he probably won't mind muting it." He watched her scurry inside, calling for Emmett the minute she hit the front door. He turned to Alice. "It's all in order. We're changing her name to Emmeline Margaret Hale."

Alice nodded. That sounded good to her. "I've told her at this point this is a game. When she's older, if it's necessary, we'll tell her the truth of the matter."

Jasper nodded. She was too young to understand the implications of what they had done, essentially. If they tried to explain it now, she could very well turn on them. The family couldn't afford that. "Emmett and the others were wondering when there was to be another storm."

His wife smiled. "As a matter of fact, there should be one coming upon us this evening. We'll need to make sure that Emma..I mean, Emmeline is properly dressed, so she doesn't get sick. She's younger than Bella was." Alice knew that Emmett wouldn't want to leave Emma behind. "Did you talk to the others about the change?"

"Yeah. Emmett's probably talking to Emma himself." Jasper frowned. "Do you think he's better at this than I am?"

"Of course not." Alice reassured him. "He's just trying to help. He knows it's not easy on you. Trust me, Jasper. Emma's completely taken by you. She's never had anyone that could explain her own gifts to her before, and then help her with them. She loves you a lot. Just remember what Edward said about her brother…" She took their purchases into the house. "Oh Bella, look what we bought today!" She was anxious to show Bella what she and Emma had come up with for her new look.

Jasper followed her inside, slowly. He heard Emma excitedly telling Emmett all about the trip to Port Angeles. He decided not to interfere, but to watch Alice's show and tell instead. After all, he'd have to make sure that all of these things were good enough for Emma. He was sure they would be, since Alice had probably picked out every article of clothing within the bag.

"…..and this was just so cute, I really couldn't pass it up!" Alice was exclaiming. Rosalie and Bella were listening curiously. And they both gasped as Alice held up an elaborate dress. "Her birthday got messed up, and I thought we should do something nice for her to make up for it." She frowned as her sisters-in-law groaned. "What?"

"It would just be a party with the family, right?" Bella asked. "I mean, we're not talking about anything really big?" Bella doubted that Emma would know anyone in town already anyway.

"Of course!" Alice said in a wry tone. "Did you really think I'd be able to make a party list without her knowing anyone yet? Anyway, I heard there's to be a baseball game. I better go get ready." She took her bags into Emma's room. She'd tidy them up later. Now she was getting in the mood to show Emma what they could do.

"So, what do you think of the new game?" Emmett asked Emma sociably. He'd explained the whole thing to the child casually. She had listened intently, keeping one eye on the muted TV set, in case the commercials ended.

"I think it's neat!" Emma replied. "Actually. Emmeline was my late cousin's name. It was really funny. When they'd come visit the house, they'd call me Emma, and she was called Emmy." Her smile faltered slightly. "She was always sick, but she played sports like a boy. Her favorite was softball." Emma leaned against Emmett. "We had pizza today. It was good." She missed some of the simpler human foods her mother would take her out for on the off chance she had time to do so. The cooks at home would only cook delicacies, and some of them weren't honestly all that great.

"Pizza…" Emmett smiled. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Uh huh." Emma replied. She sat up, as Jasper came into the room. "We're going to play Baseball."

"Correction. You're not going to play baseball. You're going to watch." Jasper said with a grin. "Alice wants you to go and get ready. She's waiting in your room." He watched her go down the hall, before he turned to Emmett. "She's got spunk. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear she was Alice's biological child."

"Takes one to know one, I guess." Emmett shrugged, turning off the TV. He had to get ready too. He was pumped to play. It had been a few months since they'd been able to go out and tear it up on the field like only they could. He went into his room to start getting ready. This would be one game of ball Emma would never forget.

Bella and Renesemee were at her father's house with Jacob. Jacob was playing with Renesmee, while he listened to Bella. "Let me get this straight. Alice and Jasper took in another human being?" Bella gestured for him to be quiet, and then took them outside.

"Yes. And Emmett lost control, so now she knows everything." Bella forehead creased in worry. "I'm sure they'll find an excuse to come here again. When they do, Emmeline will be put to death…"

"Jasper and Alice won't allow it." Jacob tried to con sole his best friend. Sometimes he could forget that Bella was a vampire now. It was easier when he could. When she mentioned the Volturi, it brought the reality of the situation back to the surface. "Can they turn her?" He wouldn't have normally suggested it, but he figured it might be a scapegoat.

"No…of course not. She's only six." Bella admonished. Though, now that she thought about it, she wondered if Jasper and Alice had even thought about doing that. Alice probably had some kind of idea about the girl's future already. And if turning her was in it, she was probably not that enthusiastic about it. She was pretty sure Jasper would not want that for the girl either. "They've probably considered it…"

"It would be silly to at least not think about it for the future…" Jacob mused.

"Yeah, really silly." Bella muttered. Jacob wasn't helping her mood any. "She's taking it really well, but that's only for now. What happens, let's say, if she gets hurt?"

"Carlisle can handle that. He looks at human blood on a daily basis, doesn't he?" Jacob said now. He eyed Nessie now, who was playing with a ball in the front yard. "Hey Nessie, how do you like having a cousin?"

"She's alright…" Renesmee saw Emma more as a friend than a relative. The main reason being that she didn't seem to want to play with her a lot. She was more content to hang around her uncle Emmett and her uncle Jasper and aunt Alice. "She doesn't like playing with me a lot yet."

"She will, sweetie." Bella reassured her. "Emma's still trying to make sense of what we've done." Bella was certain the clever girl knew what they had done was illegal. She was amazed that she didn't bother to ask for her father at all. Though, she might've realized that her going back to her father now would be a mistake. Emma came across as a very smart girl, even for her young age. Maybe that accounted for the trust she had in Jasper. Bella had to give her credit. Jasper had intimidated her when she'd first met him. Emma had gotten comfortable with him really fast.

"Bella, maybe you should head back…" Jacob said now. "Aren't guys gong to play some ball? I'll come by later. I want to meet the newest Cullen."

"Sure.." Bella figured the sooner Emma became acquainted with who was a friend to the family, the better. Jasper and Alice would've probably agreed. "Come on, Nessie. Let's go home." She picked her daughter up, and headed for the car. "See ya later, Jake."

"Sure thing. See ya tonight." Jacob waved, and then sighed. The Cullens were heading for trouble, inviting another human into their circle, even if she was young.

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The clouds were gathering, getting darker as they did so. Emma, who was now readily answering to Emmeline, watched the splendor that was a storm gathering. Her lower lip stuck out, as the rain began to fall. She had learned quickly that her vampire family did almost all of their fun activities in the rain. She couldn't understand why. This latest, baseball in the rain really puzzled her. She jumped a mile when Jasper picked her up suddenly off the porch steps. "It's going to storm really bad…"

"Excellent!" Emmett exclaimed enthusiastically. "Let's get going!" He was in his jeep before Emma could even reply to that.

"Emmett's nuts." Emma told Jasper in a matter of fact tone. "How come you guys play in a thunderstorm anyway?"

"You'll see." Alice said, smiling, as she put Emma's hood up for her. "Let's hit the road. The storm will start any minute." She took her from Jasper, and put her in the car seat. They had bought a separate one for her now. "Whatever you do, don't get too close during the game."

Emma blinked at this. But she was becoming more excited. She could feel the excitement charging though the entire Cullen clan. "Is it going to be fun?" She asked, as Jasper got in the driver's seat of their car.

"More fun then you've ever witnessed in your life!" Emmett called through the open window. "Trust me, Em. You've never seen anything like this!" He put an arm around Rosalie as they tore off down the dirt road.

Jasper merely smiled, as he followed suit. He was hoping Emma would enjoy their favorite past time. If she was going to be a Cullen, she had to learn to appreciate baseball. That was all there was to it, even if she didn't want to play. He pulled ot a stop suddenly behind Emmett's jeep. "Alice you can get her out?"

"Sure." Alice got her out quickly. "There you go." She giggled as she bounded right over to Emmett. "Keep an eye on her, Emmett."

"Sure thing!" Emmett picked her up, and put her on his shoulders carefully. "You see this huge field, Emmeline? This is where the stage is set for the greatest game of ball ever!"

Emma grinned, hugged Emmett gently around the neck. Vampire or not, she wasn't going to risk hurting her adopted brother. "I wish I could play…"

"It's alright, Emmy, you can help me referee." Esme said now, untangling the child effortlessly from Emmett's shoulders. We have to stand way back here." She lead her back a ways. "Bella, dear, are you going to play?" It was Esme's experience that Bella didn't really relish the play the way the others did.

"Not today, I don't think…" Bella had Renesmee in her arms. Her daughter was watching the set up. "Your daddy love to play."

"I know." Renesmee was checking Emma's reaction to it all. "She's in awe."

"Yes." Bella could still remember the first time she had witnessed the Cullens' game. She had been completely amazed. She could only imagine how Emma would react when the game started.

Emmett came over, and crouched to Emma's level. "Alright, Emmeline. We're about to start. Be prepared."

She nodded. "I am!" She watched as Emmett, and the others took their places on the field.

"Play Ball!" Esme called out. She stood back even further, taking Emma with her. "Now watch."

At that very moment, a crack of thunder was heard, and Emma curled up closer to Esme, watching the game. The ball was hit by Edward with immense force, and he zoomed around the bases faster than Emma could blink. The girl was thunderstruck. It continued that way for a while, and Bella called different plays expertly. Emma could barely keep up with any of it.

Her vampire family seemed to move in a blur, and with a force she'd never imagined possible. It all felt surreal to her. She clung tightly to Esme's hand, with every crack of thunder. Despite the game going on, she didn't like thunder and lightening. It frightened her. At length, Esme picked her up, and she buried her face in the woman's hair, hiding her eyes from the lightening. "Shhh…nothing's going to hurt you out here…"

Bella smiled kindly at the little girl. "That's right. We're very safe, being where we…." She paused. Alice had an eerily familiar look in her eyes. It was the same look she'd gotten just before James and his coven members had turned up on the field. There was a difference. Her look was frightened, and not alarmed.

"Alice?!" Carlisle called out now. The game was immediately forgotten, and the Cullens all clustered around the clairvoyant girl. "What is it? What did you see?" He moved over as Esme came over with Emma in her arms.

Instead of answering right away, Alice took Emma into her arms, almost crushing her, before she remembered that the girl was fragile compared to her. She looked up at Jasper, silently conveying that what she'd seen instantly put Emma at risk. "They're coming…"

Jasper moved to Alice's side, and put an arm around her and their adopted child. He had feared this the most when they'd talked about taking in a human child. How could they have thought it would be okay at all? The Volturi had their way of knowing things, without being told directly. "When, Alice?" He asked the question he was sure everyone wanted to know.

"Soon. I don't know exactly. But they'll be here." She was stroking Emma's hair gently, as the girl looked up at her. She knew the child had no idea why this was so bad. She didn't think she had the heart to explain any of it to her at all. At length, she handed the girl to Jasper, and headed for their car. She needed time to think.

"Is it bad, Jasper?" Emma asked now, looking up at her adopted father. She didn't think she'd ever be able to call him daddy or call Alice mama. It was just too weird, knowing the circumstances they had met.

"It is." Jasper said. His voice was stone, his expression was blank. But Emma could feel the undeniable fear and pain he was feeling. That Alice had been feeling too. She looked around. The Cullens were all standing there, with the same expression of anguish on their faces. Rosalie even looked worried. Whatever it was, Emma knew these unwelcome guests were after something that none of them were willing to give up without a fight.

"Let's just take her home…" Carlisle said finally. "We might still have time to make a plan." Though, Carlisle admitted to himself, the chances of saving Emma from certain death were very slim. He couldn't see anyway around it. They had let a human in on the secrets of the vampire world. To top it off, Emma was a child, and children were known, if they weren't monitored, to talk about things they shouldn't. Indeed, if they wanted to save Emma, there would only be one possible way. And he wasn't liking the looks of that, either.

**(Other Notes: This marks the end of part one of this fic. Chapter 8 will pick up a few months later. Don't worry, the Volturi WILL be in Chapter Eight.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Aro was beyond words at what he was hearing from the informant. It displeased him. The Cullens had invited a human child into their home, and were raising it? And now she knew of their special diet too. It put them in a position he did not like to be in. He glanced at Marcus and Caius. They wore similar expressions. Well, he and Marcus did, at least. Caius looked pleased that he might've finally caught Carlisle in a trap. That worried Aro a bit. "I don't like this." He said finally. "She's an innocent child. Their intentions must've been good…" He doubted Carlisle would've taken a human child unless he thought she would pose a threat to the common good of vampires. That just wasn't Carlisle's way.

"Still. She knows too much." Caius replied firmly. "You know the laws as well as I do."

"Be at peace, Caius. Let us pay them a visit, and see for ourselves what is going on. You know what happened the last time we took the word of an informant." Aro eyed the boy warily. "It could be another one of those situations."

"It won't matter. She will have to die…" Caius insisted, though he had to agree with Aro. One time before, they had been misinformed, and it has caused a great upset among the vampire race to see them at odds. He glanced to Marcus. Their still mourning friend nodded his approval of the decision. "Despite that, we should inquire of the clan again, and see who will join."

"Indeed." And Caius had just provided Aro with the excuse he'd need to visit with his old friend Carlisle.

_Five months later….._

"There is no other way around it." Carlisle said again. He, Jasper, Emmett and Edward had been ferventlydoing research, trying to find any loophole that would justify the fact that they had taken in a human child, and exposed their secret to her. There was only one way that they would get away with keeping her, and that violated even more laws. Though, Carlisle had a plan for that too. Jasper wasn't thrilled with the idea, and neither were his other two sons. "If we teach her beforehand, she'll have everything she'll need."

"I don't know, Carlisle…" Edward said. "I mean, we're still not one hundred percent sure how Bella did so well…Emmeline's just a child. And she's still young."

Jasper was about to add something, when he turned around. Emma was standing right there in the doorway. He didn't know what she'd heard, but her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, if that was completely possible. "Emmeline, come here a minute, baby." He was already trying to sooth the anxiety that was falling off of her. The last few months had been hard on the girl. All of them were so tense the majority of the time. When she approached he picked her up, thankful that he and Alice had just gone hunting for food. "Where's Alice?" The girls were supposed to be keeping her occupied. It had taken Emmett over an hour to get away from her, she was that attached.

"She's making cookies." Emma curled up gently in his arms. "What's going on? Why's everyone so…" She didn't even have a word for it. Back home, it would've been…anger, but this didn't quite seem to fit. "And Emmett won't let me play outside…"

"I'm sorry, little one." Carlisle spoke now. "We've just got a little bit of a problem we're trying to deal with. Being outside isn't really a good idea for you right now. It won't be that way forever. But it would be safer if you stayed in."

"Hey, Em…come here a second." Emmett said now. He had an idea on how to get her used to the idea of being turned. He took her from Jasper, and sat down in Carlisle's chair with her in his lap. "So…what do you think of us, you know, being vampires?"

Emma blinked at the question. They hadn't spoken of the fact that her adopted family were vampires in a long time. She was vaguely aware of when the family took turns going out, she assumed, to find food. But she never bothered to question them on it extensively. She preferred to pretend it wasn't happening. Though, now that Emmett had asked her of her opinion on it, she wasn't sure about how she felt on the matter. "It's cool, I guess…" She wasn't exactly sure what kind of answer Emmett was looking for there.

"She's confused, since we don't' really talk about it much." Edward informed the room. "You're okay with it, aren't you, Emmeline?" Edward clarified Emmett's question.

"Yeah! I wouldn't want it any other way." Emma suddenly had the distinct impression they were asking for a specific reason. "Why…?"

Emmett was about to give her a direct answer, when Jasper silenced him with a glance. Jasper went over, and knelt so that he was at eye level with his adopted daughter. "Emmeline….there's a chance…we're going to have to make you a permanent member of the family…" He hoped she got the meaning of his words. He didn't think he could bring himself to say it the way it was meant to be said.

Emma did get it, immediately. It explained so much. It explained why Alice had been making sure she got to do a lot of things she never done before, that, at her age, she should've been able to do. Like the play at her school two weeks ago. Even though Emma had begged and pleaded, Alice insisted she go and participated in it. Her exact words had been: "You only get to be in one first play." And the Halloween party at the school had been mandatory to Alice. Emmett had joked that it was because Alice relished dressing her up so much. Maybe there had been more to it than that. She studied Jasper's face, noting that he wasn't happy about what he just said. "It's okay, Jasper…." She said softly. "I…don't mind." She wasn't stupid enough to think for a minute she could've outrun them, even if she was resentful of it. "But…why?"

"The Volturi." Rosalie said now. She came into the room. She had been sent to go find Emma, and she wasn't happy about it. And now she came in to find out what they had planned to do with Emma. "They're the most ruthless creatures you'll know in the vampire world. They don't care how little you are, they'll crush you."

"Rose!" Emmett scowled. He felt Emma tense in his arms, and he rubbed her back, before Jasper took her from him. "That was uncalled for."

"Was it? Well, if we're going to be straight with her about having to make her one of us, she has the right to know why, and the hard truth. I don't know why you're going to even attempt it to begin with. She'll be sentenced to die anyway. Immortal children are as illegal as raising a human."

"Rosalie! That's enough!" Carlisle raised his voice slightly. This was uncharacteristic of him. "It's not as if this is what we wanted for her. We're grasping at straws."

Jasper swiftly removed Emma from the room, taking her to the bedroom he shared with Alice. His mate was there, looking anxious. "She's completely shaken. I could kill Rose right now!"

"Calm down, Jazz…" Alice held out her arms for Emma and was pleased when she went into them. "So, what do you think of our offer?" She brushed the girl's bangs out of her face.

"I…I want to be like you, so I can't hurt Jasper anymore." Emma said finally, as she curled up against Alice's cold chest. "I make him be in pain cause I'm…"

"Don't you say that…" Jasper interjected. He'd felt that in her many times, but had never been brave enough to address it until now. "You being human is a wonderful thing, Emmeline…" He said softly, putting a hand in her hair. "If there were any other way, there is no chance we'd let you lose that. So many people take being…human, and mortal, for granted. When you can live forever, it can get old, and tiring. Not to mention, people get hurt so you can live, in most cases. It's sad." He paused, wondering at his own musings. He took her from Alice, and held her gently against him. "You've given me and Alice both so much fulfillment that we didn't have before, so don't you ever say you've hurt me. You've made me a better than I was." Jasper realized how true his statement was, and had to smile a little. He sent out waves of calm over Emma, rubbing her back soothingly. "Don't let what Rosalie said scare you, baby. We are not going to let them hurt you if we can possibly help it."

"Are you going to be the one to make me?" Emma asked now. She was not sure exactly how that all worked, and how they chose. But if she was given the choice, she'd want Jasper or Alice to do it, since they were, for all intents and purposes, her parents. She felt Jasper tense. She immediately regretted her question. "I'm…"

"It's okay, sweetie. You just caught him off guard." Alice said quickly. There was no need for her to apologize. She put a hand on Jasper's shoulder to steady him. "It's not certain if and when you'll have to…change." Her voice was vague, as she searched the future for the answers she wanted. She blinked, frowning now. "It won't be as long away as we thought. We won't have much time to prepare."

Jasper was alarmed. "We'll have to do it before they get here?" He wasn't thrilled when Alice nodded. "But that doesn't give us enough time to prepare her…"

"No, it doesn't…" Alice's mouth was in tight line. "We'll have to d the very best we can with it, I suppose." She blinked as the doorbell rang. She couldn't tell who was at the door, so she assumed it was Jacob. She sighed. They didn't have time to deal with any treaties. She took Emma to her own room, and set her down. "Why don't you play in here for a while? We'll come and talk to you soon." She didn't want Emma downstairs if an argument broke out, though she was sure the girl would feel the tension.

****************************************************************

"So you're just going to make her a vampire?" Jacob was holding Nessie in his arms. He doubted what he heard. He couldn't believe the Cullens would risk themselves, and Nessie like this.

"She'll need the training, and preparation. We're not sure how that's all going to work out." Bella said now. She was still in shock at the conclusion they had all come to. Emma was going to become one of their kind? She wondered how the little one felt about it. "We're going to attempt to prove that with proper guidance even immortal children are harmless."

"Do you really think the Volturi will even give you a chance?" Jacob asked now. "You're playing a dangerous game with your lives here!"

"She's our daughter." Jasper replied, coming into the room. He was working on pacifying Jacob's worry. He could see the true worry was only for Bella and Nessie. That hurt, considering everything they had been through in the last couple of years. "Just as you would do anything to protect Nessie, we must do everything we can, to protect what's ours."

Alice nodded. She glanced towards the stairs, where she knew Emma would be playing. She only had so many days left of innocence. It saddened Alice to bring it so abruptly to an end. She vowed to herself that she would help her make the transition as smooth as possible. She knew Jasper would want that, as well as Emmett. She looked up, as Jasper put his arm around he r waist. "It's…a losing situation, no matter how we look at it."

Jacob was silent now. Jasper had made a good point. He wasn't entirely sure what he wouldn't do to protect Renesmee if the need ever arose again. "You know my people won't be happy about this…"

"You made an exception for Bella." Alice reminded him quietly. "Couldn't you make one for Emmeline?" It was almost a plea.

Jacob ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. He was going to get a lot of flack from Sam and the elders for this, but he could hardly turn down Alice. She had been too kind to him in the past, as well as the fact that they did generally seem to only be thinking of little Emmeline. "Fine. Permission granted..and…if you need help with the training…"

"Thank you, Jacob." Jasper said quietly. "We promise to take good care of her." Jasper sighed in relief, glad they could avoid an argument. Now they could turn their attention other things, like how to train a human child in the ways of a vegetarian vampire.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Emma was intrigued when she was called into the living room later in the evening. Normally, Jasper and Alice had her in bed by eight o'clock, and it was nine. "What's going on?" She was immediately suspicious, seeing Rosalie in the room. It wasn't usually like Rosalie to want to be around while she was in the same room.

"Well...." Carlisle came over, and took her by the hand, leading her to his seat. He sat down, and put her in his lap. "The truth of the matter is, Emmeline…we've reached a decision about…things." He wasn't sure how to approach the subject of her transformation. He wasn't entirely sure Emma would understand what that entailed. "Our family is in a lot of trouble, because we took you in." He said slowly. He was quick to rush on, when she looked like she might apologize. "It's not your fault, little one. We felt like we owed you." He looked up at Jasper, and Alice, then back to Emma. "There are only two ways this could possibly go, Emmeline. We either…change you, or you die at the hands of the Volturi." He wanted to give her the choice, knowing what she'd choose without a doubt.

Emma was silent for a long time after that. She glanced at Rosalie. The girl was biting her lower lip in disapproval. Or maybe she was forbidding herself to speak up again. The child wasn't sure. But she did wonder at her presence anyway.

"Rosalie's here because she is a part of this." Edward answered her unspoken question. "She's not going to try and scare you again." Carlisle, Emmett and Edward had given Rosalie a strong talking to after her explosion upstairs. He offered her a half smile of encouragement, wanting her to feel comfortable to ask any questions she had about anything. It had occurred to the family that Emma probably had thousands of questions pent up from the months she'd been there she'd barely asked. "If you have any questions that you need to ask, now is the time to do it." He added kindly. He moved to sit near Bella, who was holding their daughter close as she slept soundly against her chest.

Emma shook her head. She was feeling pretty bad that things had come to this, all because of her. She could feel the pain and anguish that ripped through Alice and Jasper. She felt the anger that swelled in Rosalie, and the sadness that overwhelmed Emmett's otherwise carefree nature. Carlisle and Esme were more concerned than anything else. Bella, Edward and Renesmee all seemed cautionary as well. "I'd do anything to make Jasper and Alice stop hurting so much." She said this solemnly, as she went over, and climbed into Alice's lap. "It's because of me."

Jasper shook his head, but he wouldn't try and tell her differently. She was conflicted enough, that he didn't think trying to explain one more thing to her of that nature was going to help at all. He merely just laid a hand on her shoulder, willing her to feel more at ease about things. "We don't want to lose you, Em…" He said quietly. "We'd like it if you…joined us.."

"It will mean some preparations that must happen immediately, Emmeline." Alice said now. She ran a hand through Emma's hair. "We need you to understand what will happen, and what to expect."

"Will it hurt…?" Emma asked now. That was her only concern at the moment.

"Well, I'm not going to lie to you…" Jasper said quietly. "It will be uncomfortable…" He cradled her gently. "But we'll be by your side the entire time.

Emma nodded silently. She leaned against Jasper. "And my other question before…?" She honestly wanted to know who would be the one to change her.

"Well…" Carlisle wasn't even certain if any of his children could do it without possibly going too far He knew of her question, because he and Jasper had spoken of it. "Who do you want to do it?" He asked casually. He smiled kindly. It seemed odd for them to be discussing this so casually. They were, in essence, discussing who would end her life as she'd known it.

"Alice, Jasper, or Emmett."

"No!" Rosalie said immediately. "Emmett's not in this."

"Rose." Emmett warned. He glanced over at Emma, smiling gently. "I think it'd be more appropriate if Jazz or Alice did it, but I promise I won't be too far away if you need me." He smiled encouragingly at Jasper when Jasper gave him a look of thanks."Carlisle, do you think Jazz could do it?"

Jasper remained silent, glancing over at the patriarch of the family. He wondered how Carlisle would feel about it.

"I think Jasper should, actually." Carlisle replied. He turned to Jasper. "It's the right way to go about it, if you think about it."

Jasper merely nodded. He wasn't sure what he thought of it. "…And about the preparations?" He wanted to get Emma's mind off of the actual changing if he could. Emma's emotions were all over the radar again. It felt like she wasn't sure how she should feel about any of this.

"We thought it would be a good idea, if she actually saw what we did, in a controlled environment." Esme said now. She turned to Emma. "That's why you've been allowed to stay up. Carlisle and I are about to go out for our hunt. We thought you should come with Jasper, Emmett and Alice, to witness it."

Emma's eyes lit up. She'd been hoping for that the most! "Can I really?" She looked up at Alice and Jasper. Jasper looked like he wanted to strongly protest this idea, and Alice looked like she was trying to see what the result of that outing would be. "Please, Jasper? Can I go?"

Jasper finally relented. "Yes. But understand this isn't a game, Emmeline." He said firmly. He sighed, however, when Emmett came over, and scooped her up jubilantly. "Emmett…"

"No, Jazz, this is perfect! She'll see exactly how much more in control we are when we're not panicking." He meant himself of course. He hugged Emma close. "Watch carefully, okay?"

"I will, I will!" Her excitement was toned down when Rosalie came over. She reflexively pulled away when she got too close.

"Yes, be sure to watch very carefully, Emmeline. Because this is the way you will have to live once you're one of us. There is no turning back." She sighed. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you, or try to frighten you anymore." She held out her arms, and was surprised when Emma allowed her to take her into them. "I really wish you didn't have to be turned…you're so sweet. I've noticed how you genuinely worry about all of us. It's more than what we deserve, you know."

"You're wrong, Rosalie…" Emma said softly. "Your family saved my life, and have showed me more love and affection as family than I've ever had. I've only ever wanted to make them happy in return…"

Rosalie blinked. She hadn't given Emma enough credit. The child was smart, and she picked up on things she couldn't imagine she would have at her age. She gave credit for her speech patterned to her prior upbringing. "Well, I still regret that it's come to this, but…I will help." She set Emma down. "You guys be careful out there."

"Emmeline, come get your sweater on." Jasper said quietly. He didn't really want her out there while his family members were hunting, but he supposed he saw Esme's point in a way. Emma had to see what it was they hunted. She needed to be prepared, and armed with the knowledge she'd need. It would ease her transition. He helped her into the pale blue fleece that Alice had bought for her. She had outgrown the jackets she'd come to them in. It surprised him, how big she had gotten in the four months they had her. "Do you want me to carry you, or do you want to go with Emmett?" He asked her.

"I want to stay with you…" Emma's mood was suddenly apprehensive. It was as if it had dawned on her she was about to be introduced into the secret life that her family had kept from her as best as they could. She reached up for Jasper to take her into his arms.

Jasper felt her apprehension, and he picked her up, automatically trying to make her feel at ease. He nodded to Esme and Carlisle. His adopted parents headed out, and he followed with Alice and Emmett behind him.

***************************************************************************

The forest was eerily dark. Jasper felt Emma grip him tighter, and he rubbed her back to sooth her. He wondered idly if her fear of the dark would follow her into her new life. "Alright, Emmeline. We have to stay really quiet." He could hear all kinds of creatures around them. He even caught a whiff of one of his favorites of choice. He steadied himself, forcing himself to pay attention to the child in his arms. She was squirming a little. "Hmm?"

"Emmett…"She said softly, reaching for her friend.

Emmett took her from Jasper, and hugged her close. "Aww, c'mon, Em. You're not afraid of the dark are you?" He chuckled lightly when she nodded without hesitancy. "We'll have to fix that somehow." He said gently, rubbing her back a bit. He fell silent, as Carlisle gave them the signal to stay still. He turned her so that she could see. He whispered close to her ear. "Watch this. Carlisle's got wicked reflexes."

Emma watched the older two vampires now. Carlisle was crouched in a stance that reminded her very much of the mountain lion that she'd seen at the zoo when Jasper had taken her a few weeks ago. Esme had disappeared a little ahead of him. She suddenly saw Carlisle lunge. She gasped, hearing the sound of a startled animal. She then heard nothing for a few minutes. She felt Emmett pull her closer, probably sensing her unease. "Do…they hurt much..?" She asked barely above a whisper.

"Nope. We're as quick as we can be, so they feel nothing. Most of the time, they don't have time to feel anything." Emmett whispered against her ear. "It's okay." She saw Esme come back momentarily. She looked as elegant as ever. She went over to Emmett and Emma.

"Are you okay, little one…?" Esme was concerned, seeing the look of shock on Emma's face. She reached out to put a cool hand on her cheek. "You needn't worry. They suffered very little." She smiled up at Carlisle, as he rejoined them. "She's concerned about the animals…"

"Aww…" Carlisle smiled. "Emmeline..did you have a lot of pets where you lived before?"

"We had chickens, and cows….and pigs….and some cats and dogs." Emma could just barely remember that. But her memories of her pre-Cullen life were starting to fade with each passing day. She felt like it belonged to some other little girl. €

"Well. You know that sometimes you eat chicken? Well. This is almost the same as that. However, sometimes we have to pick off animals that aren't necessarily a part of the human diet. Most of the time, these are over populated animals in the area." Carlisle blinked suddenly. Emma had grown from attentive, to listless. "Emmeline?"

Emma leaned her head against Emmett's chest, whimpering suddenly. She felt Emmett flinch slightly. "mm.."

"She's burning up.." Emmett said now, worry plain in his voice. He shook his head, as Jasper and Alice came forward to take her. "Let me get her back to the house. You two need to eat." He turned to Carlisle. "Carlisle?"

"Coming." Carlisle was immediately concerned. He remembered now that Emma had barely eaten dinner that night after Jacob left. They had all assumed it had been stress that had killed her appetite. Now he wondered if something else had been brewing. He tried to remember if he'd heard her coughing or sniffling, and found with frustration he couldn't. He followed Emmett quickly back to the house.

Rosalie met them at the door. "What happened?" She took in the site of Emma curled up, and looking weak in Emmett's arms. "What's wrong with her? She didn't take it well?"

"No, it wasn't that…" Emmett said. His voice was low, and trying to be soothing. "We think she's sick."

Rosalie blinked. "Sick? But…how?"

"Oh, it happens all the time in children her age. It comes on very suddenly." Carlisle said. "I see it all the time at the hospital." He took Emma from Emmett, and gently laid her on the couch. "Emmett, bring me my kit over here, please." The nice thing about being a doctor as long as he had been was that Carlisle had accumulated enough of his own equipment that he could do his own house calls if he wanted to. He took the stethoscope out of his bag, and listened to Emma's chest, and heart. He frowned. He did not like the sound of any of it "She got a lot of congestion building up in there. It could be worse than just a cold." He looked over as Esme came now. "She needs to be in bed for a couple of days."

"That's going to throw all our training off…" Esme lamented.

"I know…we'll just have to make do with the time we get." Carlisle wasn't happy about it either, but Emma's health must be made priority. It would make him look like a terrible doctor if he didn't put it first. He turned to Emmett. "Put her to bed. I'll explain things to Jasper and Alice when they come in."

"Alright." Emmett carefully picked Emma up, and took her up to her room. Rosalie followed. He laid her down in the bed, and sat down in the chair next to the bed, as she immediately began to fall into a deep, restless sleep. He looked up at Rosalie. "I forget sometimes how fragile a human body system can be. When I look at her, it's hard to believe something so strong willed can be taken down so suddenly."

"Emma has been through a lot in the last five months. She lost her mother, she was taken in by complete strangers. It had to have been taking it's toll on her somehow. We just didn't see it because, like Jasper, she was too busy worrying about what her actions did to us." Rosalie understood Emma now. And she felt immensely guilty for the extra stress she was sure was her fault. "She'll be okay, Emmett. Carlisle will know how to make her feel better."

Emmett nodded, and he stood up slowly. He pulled the blankets over Emma very carefully. He flinched when she started coughing. It sounded like it had hurt her. "Now would be the time to turn her…right now." He was seriously considering it, when Carlisle walked in with some kind of syringe. "What's that?"

"Antibiotic." Carlisle took Emma's little arm from under the covers. "Emmeline, you're going to feel a little pinch, but it's going to start to make you feel better, okay?" He saw the little girl's head move slightly up and down. She was lethargic. He looked to Rosalie. "Can you take her hand for me?" He was giving his daughter the chance to be a part Emma's life now.

Rosalie took Emma's hand gently, and she felt her squeeze tightly as she yelped, when Carlisle stuck the needle into her forearm to administer the antibiotic. She tentatively stroked Emma's hair, pushing it back off her sweaty forehad. "Shh.." She looked to Carlisle. "What's wrong with her, Carlisle?"

"Sounds like pneumonia." Carlisle replied grimly. "It's not uncommon for young children to get it, but it's tricky to get rid of. I'll need to run a blood test at some point to make sure, but not tonight. She's been through enough." He stood up and disposed of the harp needle in a special place where Emma wouldn't find it to get hurt. "We'll know if it worked later. Right now, she needs to rest."

"Right…." Rosalie walked out of the room with Emmett. "I feel horrible for her…"

"She'll be fine." Carlisle insisted. "We just need to keep an eye on her breathing and all of that, while she's going through this." He walked back downstairs with them. "I gave her the antibiotic. When they come in, and can someone fill Jasper and Alice in? I need to go to the hospital and pick up some supplies." His family nodded. Those remaining glanced up towards Emma's room. They could hear her coughing.

"She wants Jasper…" Rosalie said sadly. "I hope he can handle this…."

"If you notice, Jasper has gotten a lot better with her. Fatherhood has really suited him well." Esme said now. She was really very proud of both Alice and Jasper. Things had gone a lot smoother with Emma than any of them had any right to hope for. Esme was under the impression that even if they could, Emma wouldn't have wanted to be removed from their lives now."I'll go and put some hot water on…tea might be good for her right now." She wandered off to do so, leaving Emmett and Rosalie to wait with Edward, Bella and Renesmee.

Edward shifted slightly. "We should probably go put Renesmee in bed…"

"Yeah…" Bella turned to Emmett and Rosalie. "You guys will tell us if anything changes, right?"

"Sure." Emmett nodded. "No problem there." He glanced up as Jasper and Alice all but bolted into the house. "Guys, calm down. She's asleep."

"What happened? What's wrong with her?" Jasper demanded. He was very worried. It had been many years since he'd been around anyone that was sick, and so wasn't quite accustomed to it anymore.

"Carlisle called Pnuemonia. He says it's nearly always fatal if it's not caught in time." Emmett told him. He put a hand on Jasper's shoulder. "But we might have, so don't worry. Beside, we always have a back up plan."

"This is not how I wanted her to remember the last of her human life!" Jasper growled, pulling away. He went straight upstairs, and to his daughter's room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

The Cullens took turns, keeping an eye on their human charge. Jasper stayed the longest. He kept watch over her, refusing to move. By the third day, he began to worry more. She didn't seem to be responding to much of Carlisle's treatment. He glanced up, as Carlisle came back in. "Is she going to recover, Carlisle?"

"It's still early…" Carlisle said slowly. He took her vitals. "There's not much change. Has she eaten anything?" He eyed the numerous trays that had come up for her over the last couple of days. Alice, Bella and Esme had been trying to find something the little girl would feel like eating.

"She claims she hasn't been hungry." Jasper was growing increasingly worried at Carlisle's questions. "This is bad, isn't it?"

"Indeed…" Carlisle began. "Alice says the Volturi are on their way. They'll be here soon." He ran a hand through his hair. "There's chance we're not going to be able to wait for her to recover."

Jasper nodded. He had been suspecting that. He turned when he heard Emma whimper. "Emmeline…"

"Jasper…" She held out her little hand. "Did you go eat?"

"Yeah, I'm alright…" Jasper smiled calmly, hoping it was projecting on to Emma. "Em…do you remember when we were talking about needing to change you, baby?" He carefully pulled her closer to him, allowing his cool skin to cool her off a bit.

"Uh huh." Emma looked up at him. She could read his feelings, and she sensed what he would say now. "Mmmm…." She buried her face in his chest. "Are we out of time, Jasper?" She spoke just barely above a whisper. She felt Jasper's arms wrap around her carefully, yet firmly. "I'm not ready…"

"I know you're not…" He said softly. "We're not ready either, but…we have to do it in enough time that we can make sure you're going to be okay." He looked at Carlisle. "Should we do it tonight, then?" He wasn't thrilled about any of this. He had wanted to give Emma more time to get used to the idea. It ruined their plan of transitioning her slowly.

"We might as well." Carlisle said, sighing sadly. He hated to do it prematurely. He knew that Emma was not mentally or emotionally ready for what was to come. He left Jasper alone to console his daughter. He had to consult with the others.

Emma watched Carlisle go, before she buried her face more into Jasper's chest. "I'm not ready…" She felt Jasper pick her up, and pull her into his lap. Then she couldn't hold it in anymore. She began to sob softly.

Jasper shifted uncomfortably, holding her closer. "Shhh…." _I didn't want it to go like this. I wanted her to be more prepared. We all did. _He was very distraught at her tears. He felt that they were more tears of fear than regret of doing what must be done. "It's going to be okay, Emmeline." He looked up, as Alice entered. Her face told him that Carlisle had broken the news to her.

"Oh Emmy…" Alice came over, and sat on the bed, rubbing the little girl's back gently. "It'll be okay, baby." She took her into her arms, and held her. "Carlisle wants to talk to you, Jazz." She squeezed his shoulder lightly, and watched him out of the room.

"Can I go see Emmett…?" Emma said now. She wiped her eyes on her nightgown sleeve, and leaned on Alice's shoulder.

"Of course you can." Alice said, trying to make her voice as bright as she could. She couldn't stand to see Emma this way. She was so sick already, and being upset wouldn't help the situation. She figured Emmett was exactly what Emma needed. She carried Emma into the room where Rosalie and Emmett were. "Someone wanted to see you, Emmett." She glanced at Rosalie, giving her a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry, Alice…I wish there was a better way…" Rosalie said now. She stood up, as Emmett took Emma into his arms. "Come on. Let's give them some time." She took Alice downstairs to see Bella. Their sister-in-law was in the kitchen, sitting with Esme. "Emmeline wanted to be with her buddy Emmett." Rosalie explained to Esme and Bella." She was doing better about things, and it showed.

"How is she?" Bella asked softly. Edward was at the cottage with Renesmee. Bella had wanted to come, and be moral support for Alice.

"She's terrified, of course." Alice sighed. "This isn't how Jasper and I wanted things at all."

"I know, but at least she knows what not to do so far…" Bella offered a positive word on it. It hurt her to see her best friend hurting like this. She got up, and hugged Alice tightly. "We'll get her through it, Alice. Believe me." She remembered her first days of her immortal life very clearly. Everyone had been around her, making sure that she'd be okay, and could keep herself under control. She wasn't sure if Emma would have the same luck, under the circumstances. But Bella was certain that they would all be as protective of Emma as they had been of her before.

"She knows how it's supposed to go. Knowing, and being able to control the natural instincts she'll have as a newborn are two very different things, Bella." Alice corrected. She stood up, pacing. This wasn't the norm for Alice. She was usually more calm and collected.

"Jasper will teach her." Rosalie consoled. "He's had to do it before, remember?" The blonde vampire sat down next to Bella at the breakfast bar. "At any rate, with all of us here, there is no chance she'll be able to lose it." She hugged her sister tightly, wanting the old Alice back.

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"I don't know, Carlisle. What if something goes very wrong?" Jasper asked, running a hand through his hair. "It's bad enough that we have to do it while she's sick to begin with." He sat on the garage table, taking in unnecessary deep breaths. "I don't want to hurt her…"

"You'll be fine. Look how far you've come with her in the last five months, Jazz. That little girl just adores you to bits." Carlisle said now. He was checking their stock pile of blood. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she ask you to do it?"

"That's besides the point." Jasper said quietly. "I'm not entirely sure I'm the right person for this. I have no idea how I'll react to the taste of human blood after all this time, Carlisle. Remember Bella's birthday party."

"And we'll protect her the same way we protected Bella." Carlisle did remember that birthday party. It had been rather frightening for all of them. And he knew Jasper had felt the worst about it, since by then, Bella had become a part of the family already. "I think it would mean a lot to Emma in the long run if you did it." He looked up at his son now. "If you're really worried, Jazz, I'll be in the room with you, and Emmett can be there too, as back up. She'll probably insist on Emmett being there anyway." It amused Carlisle, how attached Emma was to Emmett.

"Fine. I'll do it…" Jasper knew when he'd lost. And he had the feeling he wasn't going to regret it in the long run. It would further her ties to him, if he changed Emma. He glanced at the sun. It was setting slowly in the west. "When should we do this?"

"Whenever you feel you're ready." Carlisle said now, as he put the last of the reserves in the bag he was taking upstairs to prepare. He put a hand on Jasper's shoulder. "And I know this isn't how you and Alice meant this to go, but it's the best we can do with the time we have."

"I know." Jasper said slowly. "I'm going out. If I have to be the one to turn her, it might be a good idea for me to be mostly full." He was learning his limitations, and that made him very proud of himself. Though, he still doubted this would end well. He left the garage area, as Carlisle carried what he'd come down for back inside.

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Emmett was playing some catch with Emma. Well, it was a pathetic game of catch, really. She was propped up on a bunch of his and Rosalie's pillows on their sofa. "Come on, Emmy." He threw it softer, and she caught it. "Alright! Home run!"

"Can I play baseball with you guys when I'm better?" Emma asked now. Emmett had been patient, soothing her, and making her feel better about the situation to come by talking sports with her.

"You bet!" Emmett smiled, sitting down next to her. "It's going to be so cool, Emmy, after the initial few days. You won't be in pain anymore, and you won't have to worry so much about rain, unless you're like Rosalie, and can't stand to have your hair messed up." At this, he ruffled her hair playfully.

"You'll still be my friend, right, Emmett?"

"Oh you know it!" Emmett pulled her into his lap. "And then I'll be able to teach you how to take down some animal with _your _ bare hands." He grinned. "There'll be so much to teach you, Emmy, you won't ever get bored, and you'll have an eternity to learn anything you've ever wanted to know."

"Then why does Rosalie hate it so much…?" She asked now. "She didn't want me to…"

"Rosalie's outlook on immortality is a bit bleak, yeah. Don't worry about it." He didn't want her to have to hear Rosalie's horrifying story of how she'd come to be immortal. It wasn't a story for children. He changed the subject. "So. Are you ready to miss a few weeks of school?"

"School?" Emma hadn't thought about school at all. Now that she did, she remembered vaguely there had been a math test that day. "Whoops…" She was about to explain her thought when she started coughing. She winced in pain, leaning against Emmett again. "Having vampires in the family… good thing…" She was referring to the cool touch of Emmett's arm.

Emmett chuckled softly, picking her up. "Okay, cutie. Back to bed with you." He took her back to her bedroom. "I don't know when the whole thing is going to start. That's up to Alice and Jasper. Do you want me to stay here for a while?"

"Uh huh." Emma felt weak again. It frustrated her to no end. She knew Emmett was worried about her. They all seemed to be. "Emmett…?"

"Yeah?" Emmett was tucking her back into the bed. He hated seeing his adopted little sister so weak, when she had such a good heart.

"Will I taste good, if I'm sick?" It was an odd question, and it even sounded odd to Emma. But she was curious about that.

Emmett blinked, and then blinked again. He had not expected such a question. "Well…the only one who is going to know that is Jazz. You can ask him when you've…woken up." Just as he said that, Jasper, Alice, and Carlisle came in. Emmett stood up. "I was just laying her back down. She started hacking again."

"That's fine." Carlisle said. He took the bedside chair, and studied Emma. "You know what has to happen now, don't you, little one?"

Emma nodded. She was watching Alice and Jasper's expressions. They both still looked so upset about the situation. She turned to Emmett. "Don't go…" She said softly. "Jasper needs you here."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry." Emmett gave her thumbs up. "I'll take care of Jasper for you."

"Carlisle, would it be a good idea for me to try and sedate her first…?" Jasper asked now. He was already trying to send off waves of relaxation. The minute they'd come in, it was as if Emma knew her time was up to be human.

"Possibly." Carlisle said now. He had gotten up so that Jasper could sit there. "Calming her down is a good start, however." He smiled encouragingly. Jasper looked nervous to him.

Jasper looked at Emma. "You don't have to look, if you don't want…" He was trying really hard to steady himself. He looked over at Alice. His mate came over, and put a hand on his shoulder.

Alice leaned down, and whispered close to his ear "You're going to be fine. I'm right here, and Emmett's over there. We're on your side." She pulled away as Jasper leaned forward.

"Emmeline, honey…I'm sorry about this…" He took her slender wrist in his hand gently. He felt her tense up, and he paused briefly, re-centering his focus on the task at hand. It was only natural that she was nervous. She had been told it was going to hurt a little. He wondered suddenly if she had any idea just how much. He took unnecessary breath, forcing himself to relax, before putting his mouth to her wrist.

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Emma instinctively turned away. She didn't want to see any of it. She had the sense it would make it easier on Jasper too. She tried to find something else to focus on. She'd just settled on deciding what position she'd play at her first game when she felt a distinct pinch. It didn't feel the same as the pinch of the needle she'd gotten the day before. She whimpered a little. She felt Jasper take in a gulp of something, but she didn't want to think about it. "Mmm…"

Jasper gasped silently, as the taste of Emma's blood filled his mouth. It tasted wonderful. For a couple of minutes, he lost track of what he was supposed to be doing. The sweet taste just consumed every thought he was thinking. He had to have a second taste. "mm…" He should have stopped there, but it wasn't enough. He had been denied so many times. He felt it was his right. He drank from her deeply, instinctively holding her as still as he could. He wasn't thinking about her the way he ought to have been. Something much more powerful had taken over. His own long ago restrained bloodlust was back and unbridled. He heard something somewhere silently urge him to stop, but he chose to ignore it. No. This tasted good.

"Jazz…?" Emmett was standing against the wall, watching. He noted that Jasper no longer seemed to be focusing on the task he'd been set to complete. "Jasper." He pushed off the wall, and wandered over. "Hey.."

Alice squeezed Jasper's shoulder in an iron grip. "Stop, Jazz. You're going to hurt her." She was alarmed. She could see Emma was struggling not to cry out in pain. Their adopted one didn't want to upset Jasper. But Alice wished she would. Maybe it would've worked better than what they would most likely have to do. "Emmett, get ready…"

"I knew this was going to go wrong…" Rosalie was in the doorway, watching. Her arms were folded across her chest, as she bit her lower lip in displeasure. _Death would've been kinder. She'll be a child forever…_Her thoughts were in interrupted, as her husband moved closer, looking ready to pounce on him already.

Emmett looked at Carlisle, very worried. His adopted father nodded. He grabbed Jasper, and yanked him away from the child. "That's enough, bro." He took him out of the room, while Carlisle took Jasper's place in the chair. He winced slightly, as he heard Emma finally vocalize how much pain she was in. He didn't have time to dwell on this. He pushed Jasper out of the room as forcefully as possible.

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In the hall, Rosalie watched as Emmett held on to Jasper in an iron grip, while the other fought to get away, and back to his unscheduled meal. Emmett hadn't seen Jasper like this in a long time. When Jasper's bloodlust got the best of him, the usual gentle mannered one was more like an angry bear, who had been interrupted from hibernation. "If you're going to do it, at least you could've done it right!"

"Somehow, I don't think yelling at him now is going to help, Rose." Emmett growled. "Aside from that, this wasn't bad for his first attempt."

"Wasn't bad?! He almost killed her, Emmett, and just look at him! He wants more! No, this didn't go bad at all." Rosalie grabbed a hold of Jasper's sleeve, and pushed him up against the wall. "Look Jasper! You might feel like this is okay now, but you'd regret it only seconds later! We've worked too hard, and gone too far with her for you to just let your weaker side win! You're stronger than this!"

She stepped back when Edward came up behind her. Edward would get the story without a word. Her brother grabbed Jasper from the other side, offering more strength.

"Jasper! Snap out of it, man! You nearly killed her!" Edward said through gritted teeth. He was glad now that he'd never gotten on Jasper's bad side. He was really strong as he was now. He and Emmett pushed Jasper into a far wall, pinning him there. "Get a hold of yourself!"

That did the trick. Jasper yanked away. "You see?! This is why I didn't want to do it!" Jasper hated himself now. "I'm out of here."

"Jazz, wait!" Alice had been staying back It was really hard on her, seeing Jasper lose his carefully mastered control so quickly. _All I could see was that Emma would be fine. Why couldn't I see what Jasper himself would possibly go through before that?_ "Emmett, Rosalie, go in and stay with Emma. If she wakes up alone in pain, she'll be very upset." Alice was honestly torn. She wanted to stay with Emma, but her mate needed her now.

"Go on, Alice. I'll comfort her if I need to." Emmett said now, returning to Emma's room. "Jasper's going out for a bit."

"That's just as well…" Carlisle said quietly, stroking Emma's hair. She was beginning to twitch uncomfortably. He glanced at Emmett. "Are you going to sit with her?"

"Yeah, until Jasper and Alice come home." Emmett nodded. "Is it starting?"

"Indeed." Carlisle nodded. He had helped sooth her a bit after Jasper finally got away. She had been in more pain from actually being drank from. Right after that, the venom had kicked in. "She will need a little comfort. He winced, as Emma cried out in pain. "I've to go and make things ready for when she wakes up."The family had developed a plan. Unlike with Bella, they couldn't start her on human blood. They didn't have that kind of time. Instead, they were going to do some stockpiling of different types of animal blood. They were hoping there would be a couple that the child would like. "You're going to go out and get your own later, right?"

Emmett nodded, watching Emma. The girl was starting really writhe in pain "So it begins…"

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Carlisle could see how watching Emma's pain manifest was already effecting Emmett.

"Carlisle, come on. Emmeline's my little buddy. I can handle her." Emmett smiled confidently, before it faded. Emma was in a lot of pain. He admitted he didn't miss those first hours after Carlisle had turned him. He went to sit with her. "It's okay, Em…I'm here…"

"Make it stop…!" Emma demanded through tears of pain.

"I can't Em…" Emmett held her hand gently in his. The warmth was slowly disappearing. Emmett would miss that, but in the long run, it was better they did it now, anyway. "I promise you it won't be long…" He wasn't sure exactly how long this would take. He was under the assumption it depended upon the height of the person. With a normal adult body, it took two days. Emmett was estimating that with Emma, it might take half that time or less. And he knew that he and his family, especially Jasper and Alice would be anxiously standing by, keeping a constant vigil on the little girl. He glanced up, as Rosalie entered finally. He was grateful her presence. He couldn't kid himself. Hearing Emma screaming and crying, desperate to get away from pain that she couldn't escape really hurt him.

"Be strong for her, Emmett." Rosalie said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "She'll pull through this just fine, because we were prepared." Rosalie still didn't approve of this, but she guessed she could live with it, if all of their plans worked out the way they wanted.

**(A/N: I would like to thank my friend, and first beta reader, Iris Messenger, and many many other people for their support while I wrestled with the darker side of Jasper. Lemme tell you guys. You almost didn't have this the way it is now. It was going to be a lot lighter. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy. Ch. 11 to be posted December 24th.) **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Alice found Jasper in the deepest part of the forest, almost going across the Cullens' property line. "Jasper!" She caught up to him now.

"I told you guys I didn't want to do it!" Jasper spit through his teeth. In his hand, there was a dead possum. He had drained it out of frustration, more than hunger. "I almost killed her, Alice!"

"But you didn't…" Alice tried to sooth him, by putting a hand on his arm. "She's going to be fine. Carlisle said so."

Jasper turned to look at her. "How can I still be so weak after so many years?" His eyes were full of torment, remembering each and every human he'd ever drained of life for no particular reason. They had had no rescue or reprieve. He'd just done it because he could _I should've let Emmett change her! I shouldn't have been stupid enough to think I was really prepared for it. I should've realize what would happen if I did it! _He looked away from Alice. Most of all, he couldn't stand that he'd almost taken away something Alice loved so very much. Alice deserved better. "I'm…sorry."

"Sorry? Jasper, you didn't hurt her." Alice said now. "Well, other than the bite itself." She hugged Jasper close to her. "She's fine."

"She'll never forgive me…" Jasper said, sighing softly. "She trusted me, and I let her down."

"No, you didn't. Jazz, you did what needed to be done. You didn't get too far. That's why we were all there, to make sure that didn't happen." Alice was hurting with him. She could see how tortured he was feeling.

"Yes, but I still took another human life, regardless…" He still hadn't come to terms with that particular aspect of it. "And the fact that she wanted it so that she could make _me _not be in pain anymore doesn't help!"

"Jasper, you have to stop blaming yourself. When we took Emma back in May, we had no idea how strong of an empath she was. We just knew that she was one. And the fact that she constantly worried about all of us instead of herself? Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what happens to you? It's par for the course. She probably felt it strongest from you because of the fact you two are the same." Alice started to lead him back towards their property. "We all agreed that it needed to happen. So even though you committed the actual act, we're all to blame for the decision we made."

Jasper was finally starting to relax again, and calm down. He was glad. He needed to be able to think clearer. "Alice. What are we going to do? She's not going to be anywhere near ready."

"We've got less than four days to come up with a plan." Alice informed him. The Volturi had been delayed for a reason she wasn't sure about. "And there not coming here for Emma. They're coming here for Bella and Edward again." She shook her head in disgust. "I wish Aro would just give up."

"If that's the case...that means we might have more time." Jasper said now. "She'll be up in less than two days. Maybe we can take her somewhere and keep her under wraps."

"The mountains? We have that small shelter up there. Maybe we can use that." Alice suggested. "Either way, if we're not here, they can't suspect anything.". She smiled. They had to start thinking of their newborn now. She knew their other family members would understand.

"Yeah." Jasper glanced up at the house. "We'd better head in. I'm sure they're all wondering about me."

"Well, Carlisle thought it was good you got away for a little while. He explained everything to everyone else. No one is mad at you." Alice squeezed his hand gently. "Least of all me. I couldn't be happier."

Jasper finally smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Alice." _This is exactly why I won't leave Alice's side ever. She always knows what to say at the right time. _He followed Alice inside. All they had now was to wait for their newborn to awaken. He just hoped he could handle it.

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_Seven Hours Later….._

She couldn't escape what was already being done. There was no way around it. The pain she felt was unlike anything she'd dealt with in her life. She barely heard anything Emmett tried to distract her with Three hours into the process, she succumbed to the pain, and began to drift into a stream of unconsciousness. She heard Emmett try to call her out of it, but she chose not to respond. Not feeling it as much was better.

Emmett watched over Emma until he felt Rosalie's eyes on him. He turned. "She's out cold now…the pain must've been too much for her." He reached out an arm to Rosalie, but his mate stayed back. "It's okay, Rose. She'll be fine."

"That's beside the point." Rosalie replied tartly. "I said I'd help. I didn't say I'd be happy about it." Even as she said that, Rosalie couldn't resist stepping into the child's room to look her over for herself. "She looks like a china doll…" She had to smile slightly at that. Emma had always been a pretty child Now she was even more radiant.

"Yep. Alice is going to have fun with this one." Emmett chuckled slightly at this. "She's been out for about seven hours now. She should come to in about two hours or less."

"We hope." Rosalie muttered. She couldn't resist her maternal urges anymore, though. She went to the other side of the bed, and took Emma's pale hand in her own. "You better come through this, Emma. I won't stand for Alice to be hurt anymore than she already has."

"Emma is going to be just fine." Carlisle was in the doorway, doing his hourly check on their new family member. "Has she awakened at all, Emmett?"

"Only long enough to tell me to tell Jasper not to be upset." Emmett said softly. He had raised an eyebrow at that one. Emma didn't appear to harbor any hatred for Jasper at all. He couldn't wait to tell Jasper that. "But that was about four hours ago."

Carlisle chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "She really is attached to Jazz…you two have really made an impression on her."

Emmett shrugged. "All I did was show her how to have fun…" But he had to admit that having Emma around had made the household very interesting indeed. They had all learned how to make simple human foods. That wouldn't matter now, but if they ever needed to make a macaroni dish, they'd know how for the future. He blinked suddenly, when he saw her stir. "Em?"

Carlisle went over. "It must be over…" He was astounded. Theoretically, she should've had another two hours. Yet, he couldn't deny what he was seeing. The girl was stirring without pain. He went to the stairs, and called Jasper and Alice immediately, knowing Emma would want to see Jasper at once.

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Jasper was sitting beside her when Emma finally dared to open her eyes. She felt remarkable. She looked up at Jasper, blinking repeatedly. He looked almost different to her, with this new sight she had. She loved him even more then, immediately. She felt some sort of unrest inside her father. "What's wrong…?" She gasped. Her voice…it sounded…like bells.

Jasper offered her a smile, noting she'd already caught on to subtle differences in herself. "Nothing at all…" His voice caught. Emma was fine. He really hadn't gone too far. His family had saved him from doing her a terrible injustice. He pulled her into his lap, being careful. "How do you feel, Em?"

"I'm…better." She tested her throat out. There was no fluid in it whatsoever, but there was an undeniable dryness she didn't understand. She leaned against Jasper's chest, gasping softly.

"I'm not cold anymore, am I?" Jasper said now. There wasn't a whole lot of time for her to get used to these new things, but he and Alice had discussed the fact it wouldn't be fair to her to just throw he r into training right away.

"No…" She was intrigued. Is that what it meant, she wondered, to be a vampire. No feeling at all? She hugged Jasper close, then got up, going over to Alice. "I'm…okay now…" She wasn't exactly sure how to describe how she felt.

Alice picked her up. "That's right. You're okay now." She hugged her close to her, as she had been longing to do for many months now. "Jazz did a wonderful job."

Emma glanced over at Jasper, and gave him a smile. Her teeth were now as perfectly white as Alice's. "I love you, Jasper…" She could feel the pain that her father was in, and she most certainly knew why. She remembered what had happened, vaguely. "You didn't hurt me…it's okay."

Jasper was floored. Didn't she realize that he had almost killed her? He shifted uncomfortably. "We.. don't have much time…"

Emma wasn't listening now, though. She was busy taking in the details that her human eyes hadn't been able to catch Everything around her felt different and strange. She was most intrigued with her senses. They all seemed amplified. She could hear exactly what was going on downstairs. Esme and Carlisle talking about her awakening, Rosalie was worried about her not gaining enough control in time, and Emmett was expressing his strong desire for Rosalie to have faith. She heard Rosalie raise her voice. Then it was silent again. Then there was her nose. She smelled things that she was positive she'd never really smelled before. The strongest scent was coming from down the hall…

"Hey, is she…?" Bella was standing there with Renesmee in her arms. "Oh. Oh, Alice! She's so precious, and perfect in every way!" Bella squeaked happily. It felt as if Renesmee had been born all over again. Emma was Alice's "baby" for all purposes.

"Bella, get her out of here." Jasper said now, interrupting the squealing. "We need to give her a chance to adjust, and having Renesmee in here isn't a good idea." He'd been watching Emma's burgundy eyes widen with intense hunger the minute Renesmee had gotten closer. He was thankful Alice had caught it as well, and was holding her in an iron grip so that she couldn't get down and go after the girl.

"Oh..Whoops." Bella turned. "I want to see her more later, though!" She called as she went down the hall with her daughter.

"Emmeline. You can't have that kind of blood. You remember the hunt, don't you?" Jasper said. His tone was soft, yet firm.

"Uh huh…" Her stomach was burning. She guessed that was vampire for she was hungry. "But I'm hungry…"

"Well, that's good!" Alice smiled brightly. "Come on. We've been working on something to help you adjust." She carried her newborn downstairs. She was surprised to see Jacob there and ready to help. "No offense, Jacob, but I really don't think this is a good time to re-introduce you two." She had to hold on to Emma even tighter. The child was desperate to get at Jacob's blood. "No, Emmeline!" She said sternly. Now was the time to be firm. The sooner she learned the rules, the better off she'd be. "Jazz, help…"

Jasper had been following with Emmett at his heels. He took Emma from Alice, and he held her close, speaking quietly into her ear. "Come on, calm down. We'll get you something you can have. Besides, dog blood doesn't taste all that good." He pacified her silently. He was relieved when she stopped struggling with him. He continued their trip to the kitchen. "Look who's awake, everyone."

"Hey, Emmeline." Edward smiled. "Welcome to our world."

Esme came over, and gave her a big hug. She'd been in the back of the kitchen looking for something specific. "You're so beautiful, and just as precious as ever."

She didn't appreciate the greetings. There was something funny in the air, and it made her nose wrinkle. She glanced back towards Jacob, who was now sitting against a far wall. "He stinks. Doesn't he take showers?"

"Yeah, he does." Bella smiled a little. "But it's not because of taking showers or not. He's a shapeshifter, and they..give off an unpleasant smell to us. Don't worry. We don't smell too fabulous to them either."

"It's true, Ems." Jacob said smiling a little, when the little girl buried her face in Jasper's chest irritably. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it." He had mainly come by to see that all had gone well with her transformation. Bella had called to let him they had had to do it sooner than planned. He glanced at Bella. "Do you want me to take Renesmee for a couple of hours, so that you guys don't have to worry?"

"No. That won't help her learn." Bella said, after exchanging glances with Alice. "We'll just keep an eye on them."

Jasper gently untangled Emma from her iron grip on his neck, and sat her down next to Edward at the table. Carlisle and Esme had brought up the prepared cups of animal blood. It was nothing special. It was more to get her familiar with the taste and smell that was different than what her instincts told her was right. She was eyeing the cups warily, sniffing each one's contents. "Well, Em, what do you think? Carlisle , Esme, Rosalie and I went out, and tried to get you a variety."

She shook her head at the cups. "Uh uh." She didn't want that. She wanted something else.. She got down, and bolted towards the more enticing smell.

" I got her!" Emmett said now, jumping up, and going after her. "Oh no you don't, Em." Emmett scooped her up. "Nessie's not dinner." He carried her back into the kitchen, and sat her back down in front of the cups. He tactfully sat next to her. Emma was effectively boxed in, though both were careful not to crowd her. There was nothing cute about a newborn if they felt cornered. "Now come on. There's got to be at least one here that smells good." He caught a whiff of grizzly blood after a minute. "Go on. Try something." He glanced over at Jasper and Alice. They both seemed worried because Emma didn't seem the least bit interested in what they had to offer. "I dare you." He said finally, when it looked like she wasn't going to budge on her decision to drink from Renesmee. "You can't turn down a dare."

Emma scowled at Emmett. She knew exactly what he was doing. But, she had to admit that the cup directly in front of her smelled appetizing. She picked up the small cup, and took a small sip. She let the taste register in her palate slowly, before taking a second taste. Oh, she definitely did like that! She set it down though, after a couple of sips. She looked at Emmett. "That one was good…"

"Black bear." Emmett explained. "Good, but really going to be hard for you to catch at first." He smirked a little, handing her another cup. "Try this. " That cup contained doe blood. It wasn't much smaller than a bear, but he thought maybe she might able to handle it. He glanced up at Jasper. He and Alice were standing ready, in case they needed to correct Emma themselves. Jasper nodded his approval. He wasn't feeling replaced.

Emma tried the cup Emmett handed her, and she made a face. "Ew…" She set it down immediately. "Yuck."

"Okay. So that's a no go." Emmett smirked, and drank it himself. "Alright. So we have one good, and one not so good so far." He waited. Emma seemed to be choosing her next trial. He waited with patience. Emma was doing incredibly well, thus far. Her attention was all on fulfilling the dare. She had already forgotten about Renesmee. "That one." She pointed to a cup on the far end, on Emmett's side. "It smells good.

"Ahh. My personal favorite. The grizzly." Emmett handed it over to her, and watched in amusement, as she completely devoured the cup without taking a break. "Any good?"

"Yes!" Emma replied enthusiastically. She had dribbled a little down the front of her little blouse. When she noticed, she pouted up at Alice. "Sorry, Alice.."

"Oh Emmy.." Alice was suddenly there, trying to wipe up her daughter's mouth. "Maybe we should move these into sippy cups…" She frowned. Why hadn't she thought of that before hand?

"No problem." Emmett fished the extra bit of grizzly blood he had in a jar in case of this result out of a nearby cupboard. They wouldn't be able to keep it there for long, but it was good for now.. He and the others had made several trips to make sure they stockpiled whatever flavors Emma found to her liking. He poured some into a smaller cup, and put the lid on it. "Here, Em." They'd finish the taste test later. Jasper helped him clean up the remaining untested cups for the time being. "I think that went rather well, for a first try."

"Amazing…" Jasper nodded in agreement. He had been gauging Emma's emotional state through that entire session. She had seemed hell bent on having Renesmee at first. Then Emmett had distracted her. She'd been able to stay distracted. He'd felt her mind wander only once, and then she'd brought her attention back to the taste test. His daughter was going to be alright. He had that sense now, as she went and sat in Alice's lap. "So, grizzly it is, huh?" He ruffled her hair a little bit. "Well, we might want to try and find you something you can catch on your own, right?"

"Emmett promised to teach me himself." Emma stated now. "He said, "when you're better, I can teach you how to take something down with your bare hands."

"Oh, I see." Jasper smirked at Emmett. "Well, it looks like you're going to have your hands full, Emmett."

"No problem!" Emmett stretched a little. He stood up. "I'm going to catch the last of the draft." He figured Emma would be able to find him if the time came again.

"Emmeline, come with me, and we'll get you cleaned up." Alice took her daughter back up to her room. The bed just seemed unnecessary now, but she shrugged. Emma would find that out on her own. She went to a special section of the closet. She hadn't shown Emma any of these clothes. She'd been shopping with Bella for her while she was out. She pulled out a very cute royal blue party dress. "Well. It technically is your new birthday…" She grinned. "What do you say? Do you want to try it on?"

"Okay." Emma set her cup of grizzly blood down, and let Alice undress her, and dress her gain. The dress felt too fancy for her, but she didn't want to upset Alice. She smiled gently. "I like it. Thank you." She hugged Alice tightly.

"If you like that, you should see the other pretty things I've gotten for you now." Alice scooped her up, snuggling her closer. "You are just perfect."

"Th-that's what I thought of you and Jasper when I first saw you that day…" Emma said softly. She wasn't sure if they had had any inkling how early on Emma had known something was different about them She leaned her head against Alice's chest. "I promise I'll try really hard to be a good daughter…"

"You already are." Alice said softly, holding her close again. "You don't worry about the Volturi. You let us worry. All I want you to do is be yourself." Alice set her down. "I need to go talk to Jasper for the moment. You can either go in the TV room with Emmett, or out in the kitchen. We can't leave you to wander around with Nessie here."

"I'll go see Rosalie in the kitchen." She let her mother lead her downstairs, and back to the kitchen. She went to sit next to Rosalie with her cup of blood.

"Can you guys keep an eye on her for me and Jazz? We need to talk." They had been in the middle of making a plan when Emma had woken up. They needed to finish.

"No problem." Bella said smiling at Emma. "I see she got you into a party dress…"

"I like it. I'm a little princess."

"That you are." Carlisle said. He had his white coat on. "Gotta head out. There's been a terrible accident, and they need extra hands."

Emma went over, and hugged Carlisle, surprising herself, and him, apparently

Carlisle blinked, but then he picked her up Emma's strength was amazing now. Her hugs would even more irresistible now. "Thank you, Ems. I needed that." He kissed her on the top of her head, and put her down. "I'll be back soon. Maybe you can tell me your favorite flavor by the time I come home, hmm?" He was setting her a challenge. None of the Cullens had any experience with raising a child vampire. They were improvising, playing on the strengths of her being a child, and what they could do to get a desired result.

"Okay!" Emma went over and sat next to Bella now. "How come Nessie can smell so good?"

"Because Nessie is half-human." Bella replied calmly. "She was conceived while I was still human." She smiled. "Do you want to go see her?"

"I…don't know…" She was feeling rather bad for thinking her playmate smelled so good and delectable. "She might not want me…."

"Oh she wants to see you, alright." Edward said quickly. "Here, we'll go find Emmett, and he can be there in case something happens." He glanced over at Jacob. "You want in on this, Jake?"

"Sure." He was always up for protecting Renesmee. He let Edward and Bella lead Emma into the room first and he stayed back. Emmett joined him momentarily. "I don't know how this is all going to work…"

"No one does…" Emmett said. He didn't really want to talk. He wanted to focus, and be ready, should he need to grab Emma quickly.

Bella sat down on the floor, holding Renesmee in her lap. "Nessie, she wanted a chance to see you. I think she's missed you."

"I know…" Nessie was studying Emma. She reached a hand out, and touched Emma's temple, getting the story of her turning. Her friend had been bed ridden for nearly four days, and she hadn't been allowed to see her. Now she understood why she appeared to look more like her mother and father than how she had before. "You're a biter too."

"I won't hurt you…" Emma said to her little friend now. "But you do smell good…"

"That's what I'm told…" Nessie replied. She was patient. She could see Emma was fighting her primal instinct. She backed up a little into Bella's lap. "Mama…"

"Emmy…" Emmett warned in stern tone. He was ready to grab for her if it needed to happen. Neither side had to worry. Just then, Jasper came in, and scooped Emma up. He and Alice wore very serious expressions.

"We need to talk to all of you. Now." Alice was serious, as she sat down on the floor. Jasper sat in the arm chair next to her, holding Emma in his lap tightly. "I know you guys aren't going to like what we're about to say, but before you say anything, let us finish our side of things." She turned to Jasper. "Jazz?"

Jasper nodded. His family was ready to listen. He wasn't sure if he was ready to speak. The choice he and Alice had made would rip them all apart, but there was no other way to handle it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"Alice and I have reached a decision about what we can do to help spare Emmeline's life." He found his choice of words a little ironic, considering they had effectively ended her human life already. He felt Emmeline tense slightly, and he rubbed her back a bit to sooth her. "We've decided to take her into the mountains for a few weeks, to try and reign in her natural instincts a bit."

"You mean, you're going to leave the house, and be away from us?" Rosalie blinked. "How can you even think that's okay?" She was missing Emmeline already, and it surprised her. "She's ours just as much as yours."

"It won't be forever." Jasper promised. "We just need more time. The Volturi are coming here to talk to Bella and Edward. They may not even know about Emma. If we can prevent them from seeing her before she's fully adjusted, we need to try." He frowned when Emma shook her head. "It's for the best, Em…"

"No. I don't want to leave. I want to stay with Emmett." Saying this, she crawled into Emmett's lap, as if Emmett himself would help her case. "He's my friend."

"Emmeline, sweetheart, it's not forever." Alice soothed. "Besides, if he wants to, Emmett can come up and visit anytime." She smiled at her brother. "You will, won't you?"

"Yeah!" Emmett knew that they had to get Emma to cooperate with them. He pulled Emma closer to him. "You'll find all kinds of good things up there to eat, Emmy. You'll love it." He grinned in satisfaction when she turned and hugged him close as well. "And on a really good day, we can all go camping."

"Yeah, that's right." Bella nodded. She ran a hand through Renesmee's hair. "We all just want what's best for you, little one."

Renesmee looked over at Emma. "I won't be mad if you have to go for a while…" It was as if she was reading Emma, the same way her father did. "We can play when you come back."

Emma nodded. "Okay."

Jasper was relieved. Emma didn't seem to be panicking about leaving anymore. He hadn't realized until then that she had become so attached to the rest of the family. "We're going to leave tonight. Um, Emmett…can we borrow your jeep?"

Emmett looked like he might protest, but he shrugged. "Sure. I'll come get it tomorrow." He stood up. "Hey, let's go see what other kinds of blood you'll like." Emmett enjoyed the role of playing big brother to Emma. It was so plain. "Maybe you'll like mountain lion too."

Emma shrugged. "I'm not hungry." She still had her cup of grizzly blood in her hand. She wanted to go outside. She had to test this other thing Emmett had mentioned. "Let's go outside."

"No!" Her family chorused. Then Alice came and scooped her up. "It's not a good idea right now. But I promise, tonight, when we leave, Jazz and I will let you wander around all you want." The girl ran a hand through Emma's hair, taking in how much softer it appeared to be. She carried her back into the living room. "So, we were thinking maybe a month or two at the most…"

Rosalie spoke up now. "Should Emmett come every day, to help?" She hadn't missed how well Emma responded to him, when he was trying to teach her.

"Well, maybe every other day. I think Jasper needs to be able to be involved too; since he did "father" her, so to speak." Esme said now. She smiled. "I'm sure Jasper does appreciate the help though."

"Indeed." Jasper said now, smiling. He stood up. "We should probably start getting things ready."

"Can I play with Nessie?" Emma asked now. She wanted them to continue the game of pretend they'd been playing before she'd gotten sick. "Please?"

Jasper frowned. He wasn't sure Emma was quite ready to be left alone with Renesmee. Things could go south with that deal really fast. He glanced at Bella and Edward.

"We'll stay with her." Edward confirmed. "Don't worry." He watched Jasper and Alice go. Then he turned to Emma. "So…how do you like it…?" He already knew, but Bella didn't and he was trying to find a way for them to bond a bit.

"There's so many…new…scents." Emma had the inkling the scents she smelled now had always been there. Her human nose had probably just missed them. "And Jasper looks different…"

"Oh, there are going to be a lot of different scents outside too." Bella told her. "You'll have a lot to learn your first few days. And I think Jasper is the best person to teach you." She smiled. "I remember when I first saw Jasper through my new eyes. There are things you just don't forget, ever."

"Can I tell you guys a secret?" Emma said now. Her voice, though still pretty as a bell, was soft. "I'm really afraid…" She shivered, though not from cold. "I'm…aware of…what's going on, and…why I had to be turned early."

"I see…" Edward blinked. "Is there something else you want to tell us?"

"Sometimes, I see…things. But it's not all the time, like Alice. I…don't like it, so I don't practice with it." She shrugged as if it was no big deal. "Jasper and Alice don't have to know about this.."

"But you shouldn't keep what you see from the rest of us…we're a family now. One whole unit." Bella reproached. "So what have you seen?"

"When I was unconscious…I could see inside everyone's thoughts. Alice and Jasper are deathly afraid that the Volturi will take me down no matter how in control I am. But they didn't want to let me go either…but..I saw other things….the Volturi…going after your whole family…." Her eyes glazed, but tears didn't form. She looked down. "It's because of me. Why didn't they just leave it go? They don't deserve it!"

"Shh…." Bella handed Renesmee to Edward, and took Emma into her arms, attempting to comfort her, even though she knew Jasper probably would have done a better job. "We all love you, Emmeline. We love you so very much. It's…the Volturi's way, you know. To exert their power over all of immortal kind. They love to flaunt it."

"What's going on in here?" Jasper asked. He was in the arch way of the entrance to the living room. "Bella?"

"Jasper, Emma…can see things. But not so often as Alice. She sees….possible outcomes. And what people are thinking. Kind of like I do." Edward said now. "But I don't think she does it on purpose."

Jasper blinked, and he immediately took Emma in his arms. "Em…what's wrong? What did you see, baby?"

Emma shook her head, and she pleaded with her aunt and uncle not to say anything. But she lost that. Edward was talking rapidly with Jasper already. She felt Jasper's arms tighten around her, and she felt a sense of calm and relaxation wave over her. Her father was at work again. She buried her face in Jasper's neck. "I don't want you to die because of me…."

"That's not going to happen, Em." Jasper said softly, carrying her out of the living room. He guessed she wasn't in the mood to play with Nessie now. They would have plenty of days ahead to play. He wanted her to stay with them now. He looked up at Alice as they entered the child's bedroom. "You were right. There was something very wrong." He told Alice what Edward had relayed to him.

"Oh Emma…" Alice said softly. She rubbed Emma's back gently. "Don't you dare feel guilty about any of this." She returned to her packing. She went to Emma's closet. They didn't have to pack for the seasons. It wasn't totally necessary for Emma anymore. But she thought she looked adorable in seasonal clothes. The mountains would be chilly to a human, so she had bought Emma several warm articles of clothing. "Should I pack her parka or her jacket?" She looked to Jasper. Her husband was playing with Emma. "Hey."

"Oh, I don't think it really matters…:" Jasper had to smile at his wife. Alice was going to be dressing Emma up like a life sized doll. It amused him. "Bring both, if you want."

"Alice, can you bring this too…?" Emma held up her last toy from her human life. It was the Victorian doll that she'd had the day Alice and Jasper had met her. "Please?"

"You can bring whatever you want." Alice said, as she left the room It was time to sort Jasper's wardrobe out."Jazz, I meant that in moderation." She chuckled. Jasper had been about to tell her to bring as much as she wanted. Sometimes, she loved having the ability to see ahead to the future.

"Are you sure you guys are going to be okay?" Emmett asked now. He was standing in the doorway. "Having a child is a handful…"

"Yeah, I know." Alice said softly. "We'll be fine. Emma's already adjusting so well. I think having all of us around to lead her by example is the advantage. You're welcome to come visit her whenever you want."

"Careful. I might just take you up on that offer." Emmett said now. He got a look that said he better be kidding in response. "Anyway, I know you and Jasper will succeed in your plan. Emma's already doing so well."

"Yeah…." Alice's eyes narrowed. "We're probably going to have trouble with her up there though. All the animal blood she's had has been animals she herself cannot catch."

"Try getting her close to a cub, just to see what happens. I wouldn't take her lightly, Alice. She does have Jasper's venom." He was going on the theory that venom was some sort of hereditary device. No one quite knew how that worked, or where vampires got their individual abilities. He was hoping, for Emma's sake of loving the bigger game, that he was right.

"Maybe you're right…." Alice suddenly sighed. "Jasper, she can't take that with her, it's not even practical." Emma was wanting to take her pillows and blankets with her. "Should we tell she doesn't have to sleep anymore?" She turned back to Emmett now.

"I don't know. We've never dealt with a child vampire before." "Maybe she does need it…or mentally thinks she needs it, because she's still got so much humanity left over…" He imagined because of Emma's innocence of being a child, she might actually retain a lot of her humanity. He glanced back as Jasper was carrying his daughter in his arms. "Is she…?"

Jasper looked confused, but he nodded. "She's only convinced herself she is." His daughter was playing at sleep. And she wasn't even doing it right. She didn't pretend to be breathing. He was almost amused at that. He rubbed her back gently. "I don't know why, but she insisted she was tired." He was reminded of how they had all been intrigued when Bella had turned up pregnant with Edward's biological child. "Alice…?" The idea that she would insist on "sleeping" intrigued him.

"I know…" Alice was frowning. "I don't how to explain the no sleeping thing either. Maybe when Carlisle gets back, we can ask him. But if she wants to "sleep" why don't you lay her down in her bed? We can transport her later."

Emma curled up closer to Jasper, much like she had done when she was human.

Jasper smiled. "Well. If you want to sleep, I can't say no, but, it's not really necessary, honey." He'd humor her,

"Mmm…" Emma ignored him, and continued her charade. It felt more realistic for her to go on pretending nothing had changed. It wasn't any different than any of the pretend games that she and Renesmee had played, was it?

Jasper shrugged, and with a smile, laid her down. "Well, when you're done with your "nap", come out into the living room." He left her there. As he leaned against the wall across from the bedroom, he thought about her reasoning. Could it be that she hadn't really wanted it as much as she'd claimed? This worry nagged him, but he'd have to figure it out later. Right now, they were in the middle of an evacuation.

*********************************************************************

"Your Seer is certain of what she saw?" Aro said to Demetri. "It's not going to be like what happened with the other child is it?"

"I'm certain. The Cullens took in a human child, and now she is one of them. They turned her." Demetri asserted. "Two crimes for the price of one, it seems."

"Thank you. Now, if you would..go and see what you find. It looks like there is going to be an interesting afternoon head of us." He turned to his followers. "My friends, it saddens me today to announce we will once again be going to question our friends the Cullens about their reasoning for breaking the rules."

"At last, we'll have them cornered. There will be no getting around this!" Caius said, smirking. He had been dying to take out the Cullen clan for many years. "The child will die, regardless."

"Now Caius…we have to at least hear them out. It is the right thing to do." But they had already made p their minds. It was plain in the cruel smiles the two wore. Aro signaled the rest of the group forward. "We'll just see how he tries to talk his way out of all of this."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Two Months Later…._

"Stay low…" Jasper said to his daughter. Emma eagerly followed his example. He glanced behind them. Alice was staying a pace back. She was giving Jasper and Emma their space to train. "Do you have the scent now?" He whispered softly to her.

"Uh huh…" Emma's eyes were intense. The color had changed from the burgundy red that they had been to a soft honey color. Jasper much preferred that color. It was closer to her human eye color. "C-can I go now?" She was anxious. She could smell the grizzly cub getting closer.

"Wait." Jasper said. He put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. He felt her eagerness. It was the same as the last time, when he had tried it the night before. But at least now, she was more eager to capture animals. When he felt the bear was a safe distance in closeness, he let her go. "Now!" His whispered. He didn't have to say anything else. Emma swiftly tore after her prey. He followed at slow pace in case she would need help. It was completely unnecessary, as it turned out. He heard a crack, and then the sound of her actually growling, which he thought was cute, despite how ferocious it was. Emma had successfully caught her first animal alone. Emmett would be very proud. He almost felt bad that his brother wasn't there to witness it himself. "Any good?" He said, as he approached. He didn't come too close. Even as her father, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to approach his little predator while she fed.

"Very." Emma said when she was ready to take a break. She wasn't going to be able to finish every bit of it. She looked over at Jasper then, wondering what to do. "It'll go to waste…"

Jasper half-smiled. "I wouldn't worry much…" He came over now, cautiously. She would let him know if he was too close for right now. She didn't make any sign of feeling threatened. "Are you full then?" He heard Emmett and Alice approaching. _Well, that's good. At least Emmett will know this was her work, and not mine now. _

"Uh huh." Emma backed away from her dead prey. She felt guilty. "His mama will be sad…"

Emmett came up behind her, and picked her up. "I wouldn't be too sad, Em. They'll be together in the afterlife now." It continuously surprised the older Cullens how sensitive Emma was to those around her, animals included. He and Jasper had had many conversations on the subject. "Mmm. By yourself, I see. Good job!" He hugged her tightly.

"I left you some…" She said to her best friend, smiling cutely. "If you want…"

"Well, actually, I ate…" Emmett began, but he thought better of it. He handed her to Alice. "Sure why not?"

"That's very thoughtful of you, Em." Alice told her daughter, hugging her close. She had just finished feeding herself. Things were going much better, now that they had taken away temptation. Emma was more inclined to eat what she found around the area. Alice was glad they were camping away from their mountain retreat for the weekend though. Emma had become increasingly restless, and had wanted to see the other family members. She carried her back to the camp site as Jasper and Emmett finished off her kill. They always did this as a courtesy. They found out really quickly that she didn't like to watch them at their own killings. "You guys, she finally did it!" Alice was smiling proudly.

"That's great!" Bella said, coming over to hug Emma. She took the girl from Alice. "How do you feel?" She still remembered her first official kill. Of course she hadn't had to have nearly as many tries as Emma. But she knew the feeling well.

"Full!" Emma replied enthusiastically. She gathered that her being able to catch her own prey had been something the entire Cullen family had worried about. She was channeling the group's enthusiasm. She grinned more, when Edward came over. "I did it all by myself, Edward."

"Well, in that case…" Edward produced a present he'd been holding for just such an occasion of this magnitude. "Here."

Alice smiled. "Oh, you're just going to love it, Emmy." She watched the girl rip into the packaging ferociously. She guessed she was still amped up on her kill. Out fell the beautiful gold locket. She scooped it up before Emma could get upset over dropping it. She held it out to her. "Your cousin Nessie has a very similar locket."

Emma studied the locket carefully, turning it over and over in her small hands. She recognized the emblem on the front right away. Alice and Jasper had similar things. It was the Cullen crest. The thing that bonded the family together, and notified other covens they were all together. She had thought she'd never get one, being technically a Hale. She reached out, and hugged Edward tightly. She spoke softly."Thanks so much…"

Edward smiled, pulling her into his arms. "You didn't think we'd forget about you being a part of us, did you?" He had been reading her thought process, and was surprised she didn't make the connection about how they were all Cullens, despite having different last names. "You are very welcome." He cuddled her close. Just like the rest of the family, he was very proud of Jasper and Alice. They had done a very good job with Emma's transition. He couldn't wait to see Aro's expression when he realized that Emma was not going to be a threat.

************************************************************************

Jasper smiled proudly, when Emma showed him her new present from Edward. "Well, you definitely deserve it." He put an arm around his wife as they watched Emma play with Emmett and Rosalie. "Easy there, Em! You've got a full stomach!" She had just tried to sack Emmett.

"You're going down, Emmett!" Emma squealed in delight, when Emmett fell on contact. "I win!" It made Jasper and Alice smile, to see how happy, and healthy their newborn was turning out. And yet, she was still so innocent, and human. She liked the simple things any other child would like.

"Oh, I don't think so…" Rosalie said now. She had gotten a lot better, playing along with Emma's human side. "I'm reviving him!" She pulled Emmett to his feet. "Sorry, Em. It's the power of love."

"No fair. You did that last time!" Emma scowled at Rosalie. Even though they had pretty much mended their relationship over the last couple of months, she still held her responsible for upsetting her when she was still human.

"Hey, love is love." Emmett smirked, scooping his niece into his arms. "It's okay. We'll play later, and you can kill me all you want." This he whispered close to her ear, away from Rosalie. "She just doesn't like to play fair." He was about to tell her what she could do to get back at Rosalie, when heard Jasper gasp in shock. He took her back to the others, and stopped short, clinging tighter to Emma. There, standing with the rest of the Cullens, was Aro and the other elders of the Volturi. He heard Emma whimper immediately. She knew what was going on without a word being said to her.

**********************************************************************

"Carlisle, old friend. It's a shame we keep meeting under such bleak circumstances." Aro was eyeing the child vampire that was in Emmett Cullen's arms. "It appears Demetri, that your informant was correct." Beside him, Caius smirked diabolically. He was finally going to have his chance to go after Carlisle's family.

Jasper calmly walked over, and held out his arms to Emma, who climbed into them, whimpering. "Shh.." He soothed her with waves of calm. He turned to face Aro, a look of pure contempt on his face.

"I can assure you, this child is different." Carlisle said calmly. "Immortal she may be, but she has more control than I have ever seen in a newborn of her age."

"Rules are rules, dear friend. I'm sorry." Aro said. He didn't sound sorry at all, and Caius was becoming more impatient. "But, perhaps a demonstration is in order, to be fair."

Emma didn't know what Aro meant by that. She was busy watching the two child vampires he had on his side. They didn't look too much older than teens themselves. "Who are they?" She whispered to her father now.

"The girl is Jane, and the boy is Alec." Jasper explained quickly. "They're extremely dangerous." He reflexively tightened his grip on her. He was relieved when he felt Bella's shield fall over them in protection.

"A demonstration?" Carlisle was saying. He didn't realize exactly what Aro meant, until his eyes fell on Renesmee, who was nestled deeply into Edward's arms, as his son glared at the Volturi leaders. "If that is all you require, I can prove to you right now that she will not go after human blood."

"Ah, but now is not a good time is it? The child is full already." Aro was eyeing the girl calmly. "You fed recently, didn't you, little one?" He took a step towards her. When Jasper bared his teeth at him, he raised an eyebrow. "I wish no harm upon her…" In truth, Aro was hoping that Carlisle would once again be proven to be right about his assumptions. He did not take joy in harming children, no matter the reason. The girl's control was remarkable. He could see it without the proof. Especially with her being so young, too. "May I?" He reached out to take Emma from Jasper.

Emma clung to Jasper with her tightest grip yet. "Mm…"

Jasper glanced at Alice. She nodded. She hadn't seen anything bad coming of this. He spoke softly to his young daughter. "Alice and I will be right here. Don't worry. He won't hurt you." He couldn't get her to let go.

"I see our reputation has been spread." Aro said. He sounded disappointed. He spoke directly to Emma now. "I give you my word no harm will come to you, dear little one."

"Go on Em…" Emmett said now. He had moved to flank Jasper on his other side. He would lunge, without hesitation. Jasper wouldn't keep him away if any harm came to the little girl.

Emma finally allowed the elder to take her into his arms. She was tense, and her eyes were full of fear. Aro cradled her carefully, as he walked with her back to where Caius stood with Demetri and their guard.

"What an exquisite child she is!" Aro said. He had been studying the girl closer, and was really impressed. She was composed on the outside. On the inside, he could feel how truly terrified she was.

Emma was studying Jane and Alec, trying to understand what the exception for their turning was. They were children too. What was the difference, she wondered. "They're children." She said to Aro now.

"Oh. You caught that, did you?" He smiled a false smile of kindness. "They are a special case." He raised a hand, when he saw that Jane was ready to give a demonstration. "Now, Jane dear. Behave." He set Emma down in front of him, and squatted to her level. "Tell me. What is your name, little one?"

"Emmeline Margret Hale." Even after a few months, her voice still surprised her. She turned and glanced at Jasper, Alice and Emmett. She tried to stay focused on just them. They were all tense, and impatient for Aro's inquisition to be over. "I haven't killed any humans."

"Be that as it may…" Caius began, but Aro silenced him with a glance. He muttered, and fell quiet. He was frustrated that Aro would even want to investigate this case. It wasn't like the hybrid child Renesmee. This child was a true vampire.

"Oh? Have you ever thought about it?" Aro asked now. He was trying to sound kind, to put the girl at ease. If he could get her trust, maybe she would tell things that she wasn't supposed to. As he spoke, he searched her memories. He was hoping to find something that would defy anything she might say to cover her tracks."I'm sure your "cousin" over there probably smells really appetizing, doesn't she?"

Alice growled, hearing that. Jasper put a hand on her shoulder to ease her nerves. "That…!"

Emma was thrown off by Alice's growl, but only momentarily. She stayed focus on the task at hand. She owed it to the Cullens. "S-sometimes, but I won't hurt her. I love her. You would, though, because you don't." She added. She was quick, and she knew w here Aro was trying to go with his thinking.

"I see…" Aro chuckled heartily then. "You are a remarkable child, Ms. Emmeline." He stood up then, and motioned for Jasper to come and take her. "You have taught this little girl well."

"Yes. She was taught from the moment she woke up." Jasper replied, as he felt Emma burrow into the safety of his arms once more. "You can see that she has not touched a single human since her birth."

"That is true…" Aro turned to his fellow leaders. "Well, I see no reason to have her destroyed at the moment. She has not posed a threat as of yet."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Caius all but roared now. He was furious that the Cullen clan was going to get away with yet another illegal matter. "I propose a trial period of one year." He doubted that they would be able to control the child's urges once they began to take her out in public.

"That seems like a legitimate request." Aro agreed. He turned to the Cullens. Jasper had moved himself, and his child into the safety of Bella's shield. "For a period of one year, I will be sending someone to check on the progress this child has made. If after a year, she proves to be without threat, we will allow you, and her to live. Should she kill anyone, and endanger the well being of the immortal race, however, all of you will suffer the consequences." He waited for the outrage to be expressed.

"It is a deal." Carlisle said calmly. "A year." He signaled for his family to fall back.

"Then we will take our leave as well." Aro nodded, and his group fell back as well. "I will be sending along my eyes and ears soon. Until then. It was a pleasure to see all of you once again." Without a second glance back, the Volturi disappeared as quickly as they'd come.

********************************************************************

"Maybe for you…" Rosalie muttered, as she came over, to comfort Emma. With the pressure of immediate death out of the picture, the girl was shaking terribly. She didn't cry, but her eyes were glazed, as if she would.

Jasper held Emma close to him, as he and his family members tried to calm her fears. "Shh, little one…it's over now. They won't be able to do anything to you or us." He handed her over to Alice, who wanted badly to hug their daughter close to her.

"That's right. They'll see that it was all just a formality. You'll be fine!" Alice smiled brightly. "You've already done so very well. We're all very proud of you, Emmeline." She picked up the locket around the girl's neck, and placed it in her small palm. "Emmy, you're a part of the Cullen family. That means you are strong, and brave. All of us will make sure that you succeed in this trial."

"That's right." Carlisle put in now. "We will all be there to support you, no matter what happens." He reached over, and kissed the top of his grand daughter's head. "The Volturi are underestimating us once more."

"Will it really be alright?" Emma asked now. She found the strength to speak. "I won't get Jasper and Alice into trouble?" She felt Alice hug her even tighter.

"Don't you worry about us." Jasper told her. "We've faced adversity worse than this before, and survived. We will succeed again." Though he had to admit, he did have some doubt. Alice's expression now didn't prove to be too convincing. "Alice?"

"We'll succeed, but only if we leave Forks for a while." She said now. She turned with Emma in her arms. She handed the girl to Emmett. "I need some time to be alone. Why don't you guys start packing up to head home?" Without waiting for anyone to reply, she went to Emmett's jeep, and climbed in, wanting to think. She saw Bella follow. "Bella…"

"No way, Alice. You're not going to run off on me again without an explanation." Bella said now. They closed the doors, and rolled up the windows. "Now, spill it. What did you see?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen **

"I don't know, Alice..." Jasper studied Alice's face. His mate was dead set on leaving the country with Emmeline, wanting to get her away as fast they could. She was frantically packing suitcase after suitcase at the Cullen house. "Alice, what if you're wrong? You know your visions are subjective." He reached out, and put a hand on her shoulder. That stopped her. She turned to look at him. Her expression was one of pain, and upset. "Tell me please..." He said calmly, as he closed the door to their room. Emmett was in the living room, keeping Emmeline calm, and happy. He loved Emmett for taking such a strong interest in their daughter. "What did you see?"

"It doesn't last long, Jasper. This control she's got now. It is all undone. I'm not sure how, or why, but it happens, and it happens here in Forks. We have to take her away from here."

"How does that help?" Jasper soothed her now. "If we take her away from the rest of them, you know how she'll react. She won't like it. Especially if we leave Emmett." He frowned. It seemed to Jasper that Emmett had a tighter bond with his child than he did, even though she had become more attached to him since he'd sired her.

Alice pulled away, and began with her packing again. "We'll take our chances. Hand me that coat over there."

Jasper sighed. There was no talking Alice out of anything once his mate had set her mind on something. He handed her the coat. "I'll go talk to the others. I'm sure they're all wondering what's going on." Alice had gone back to the house from the baseball field with Bella alone. The minute Jasper had come inside, he knew Alice had told Bella something that his sister-in-law wasn't happy about. Bella wouldn't tell him, though. She thought he and Alice should talk amongst themselves.

"Alright, and make sure Emma has plenty of sippy cups packed. We're going to have to go tonight."

"Right..." Jasper shook his head, and went downstairs. As predicted, his family was sitting in the dining room awaiting some kind of explanation. He shifted uncomfortably. He hated to be the center of attention. "Alice thinks...it would be best if we left with Emmeline. Just the three of us, and went overseas for a while."

"What?!" Rosalie blinked. The news threw her for a loop, and she wasn't happy. "Running away from this isn't going to change anything. They'll find her no matter where you take her. You know that!"

"It's not that. We don't care if she's found." Jasper said now. He could feel Emma's emotions stirring up. She wasn't happy. "Alice had a vision that Emma feeds off a human, here in Forks." He felt heavy, saying that. He tried to imagine the innocent little girl, his princess, violenting tearing into a human' flesh.

"I promise I won't!" Emma spoke up now. Emmett was in the dining room with her now, and she looked very upset. "Just don't make me leave Emmett again..."

Jasper's heart went out to her. He wanted desprately to tell her that they could stay, that she could remain with Emmett as long she wanted. But Alice had already booked their flight. They were leaving that night. "I'm sorry, Em...we have to go."

"No! I don't want to go. I want to stay with Emmett." Emma buried her face in Emmett's chest. "Please don't make me go..." She whispered to her best friend.

Emmett hugged her close to him, closing his eyes briefly. As much as he would have loved to tell Jasper he couldn't take Emma with him, Jasper was her father, not him. He rubbed her back, and whispered softly in her ear. "I'll come visit as often as I can, little one. I promise you that!" He turned to Jasper. "Are you sure there is no other way, bro?"

"I'm sure." Jasper said. It pained him to see Emma so upset. His prediction about her resentment was very true. "We're going to be living West Yorkshire. It's low population, and dreary weather. Perfect for us." He reached out to take Emma, and was taken aback when she actually growled at him. "Emmeline, that is unacceptable."

"I don't care." Emma spat. "You and Alice don't even trust me." She buried her face in Emmett's neck more, tightening her already iron grip on him.

"Emmy..." Emmett took her into the living room now, and sat with her on the couch, while she sniffled in his arms. "Listen, Princess. Me and you? We gotta be brave about this, okay? It's for the best. Alice's visions are usually subjective, and if she thinks moving you will keep you out of the line of fire with the Volturi, we need to trust that she's right."

"Jasper doesn't like that I love you so much." It was a misplaced accusation. She looked up at Emmett. "That's why."

"Oh, you're wrong, Emmeline. Jasper and Alice aren't the jealous type. Leet me tell you something else. Legally speaking, you belong to the Hales, that is, technically Jasper and Alice. That's just for the sake of the human world. In the vampire world, we are, collectively, one coven. That makes you a part of all of us, and that you belong to not just Jasper and Alice but all of us. That you feel attaachment to one of us or all of us is perfectly alright. Jasper knows that." He hugged her tightly again. "I swear to you, things are going to be fine."

"B-before I go..." Emmeline eyed the baseball glove lying in a chair. It must've been flung there after everyone had come back. "Can we play...?" She said the last part softly.

"Sure, why not." Emmett petted her hair a bit. "I wish things didn't have to be this way...Jazz and Alice deserve just to be happy with you. They shouldn't have to be worrying about your safety constantly."

"I'll be good." Emma promised, as she got up. She went back into the dining room. "We're going to play baseball!"

Jasper blinked, but then he looked up, and saw Emmett nodding. Emma needed humoring right now. They would discuss the move again later. He turned to the stairs. "Alice! Bella!" Bella had gone up to console Alice at the news.

***********************************************************************

"She hates us." Alice was sitting on the couch in her and Jasper's room. "She absolutely..."

"No. She's just angry." Bella soothed. "She could never hate you guys, Alice. Look at how she clings to Jasper's side most of the time." Bella put a hand on her sister-in-law's shoulder. "I'm not thrilled about my best friend leaving me again, but...we have to do what's best for Emma. Edward and I can come visit. We'll bring Emmett for Emma."

"I have the feeling you won't have to beg him either. I feel like I'm forever keeping them apart. Emmeline must think I hate her being so close to him.."

"Don't assume things about Emma. She's a smart girl. She might be angry right now, but she understands. I'm sure she does. And if she doesn't, I'm sure Emmett has already explained it to her.

"I guess..." Alice sighed softly. She wasn't feeling too much like herself right now. She blinked, hearing Jasper downstairs then. "What's going on now, I wonder. Maybe Emmeline's throwing a fit..."

"I don't think so...we'd be hearing screaming and kicking going on if she was..." Bella shrugged. Emma had never thrown an all out temper tantrum since she'd been with them. It had surprised her. Children who were generally as traumatized as Emma had been were usually more difficult than Emma had proven to be. She went downstairs, following Alice.

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Alice blinked, when she heard Emma's request. Her daughter wanted to play one game of baseball with Emmett and the others before they left. She shrugged. It was a reasonable request. "I don't see any reason why not. It's storming pretty good out there." She picked Emma up. "Are you sure you want to do it though? Don't expect Emmett to go easy on you!" She smiled.

"I ain't afraid of Emmett! I'm gonna be on his team!"

"You little traitor." Jasper grinned, ruffling her hair. "That's alright. You go play with Emmett." He watched almost with sadness as she barrelled into Emmett's arms when Alice set her down. _It might be awhile before we can all play again together. Emma had the right idea, I think. _

"She did." Edward said, coming over to his brother. "We're all going to miss you guys, Jazz." He patted Jasper on the shoulder. "So. One last game for the road. Let's hit it!" Edward followed Emmett, who was carrying Emma in his arms.

Jasper watched them go, and he automatically felt pumped. Though the entire coven was sad about the pending departure of the three vampires, they were all trying to be brave for the sake of the youngest of them all. And that automatically brightened his mood. They all cared so deeply for that little girl. It made a big difference.

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The field was just as Emma remembered it weeks ago. It didn't feel like it had been that long ago since she had been on the field, experiencing her vampire family's true abilities for the first time. Now she was one of them. She sighed contently, as Emmett took her out of her car seat. "Emmett, it is okay that I'm on your team, right?"

"Sure! So, what position do you want, huh, kiddo?" He knelt to her level, to fix her baseball cap. alice had bought her pink one, and had the Cullen name embroidered on to it. "I'm gonna have to get you another cap. This is way to girly for real baseball." He smirked when Alice playfully smacked him on her way to the pitcher's mound. "You'd like that, huh, squirt?"

"Uh huh. But don't tell Alice!" She whispered loudly, giggling. "I want to be in the outfield with you!"

"Hmm. How about you take first base?" Emmett wasn't certain Emma was quite ready for full contact baseball yet. Though he had to give her credit for her bravery. "Or you can pitch for our team."

"I'll pitch!" Emma decided, smiling.

"Good deal." Emmett said. He smiled as Rosalie approached. "Found us a good pitcher, Rose."

"Great!" Rosalie smiled, and picked Emma up. "So, do you think you can pitch like Alice?"

"Yeah!" Emma said excitedly. The energy in the air almost made her forget that this was the last game she'd be playing with Emmett for a long while. "I'm gonna make Emmett really proud."

Rosalie hugged her close. "You've already made all of us very proud, Em. When the year's up, you can come back here, and we'll play this again, just like nothing ever happened.

"I hope so." Emma said, as she scrambled to get down. "Play ball!" She didn't want to think anymore about any of the leaving parts. She wanted to put all of her energy into the game she had been so eager to play.

The game began then, and she focused. She let Esme help her find where to go, and when, because this was the first game of baseball she had ever played. She caught on to it pretty quickly, though, and before long, she only had to consult her would be grandmother on technicalities. As it turned out, Emma had quite the pitch. She managed to strike Jasper and Alice both out at least twice during the game's duration. Emmett whooped and cheered her on, encouraging her to play even harder. When it came her turn to bat, she was terrified of the ball, so Alice moved in closer to help her out.

"Come on, Em. I'll throw you a soft one." Alice forced herself to slow down, and throw her daughter an easier one. They didn't mind making exceptions for the smallest member of the family. She was surprised at the force with which Emma hit the ball, then, and she smiled. For a brief second, Emma stood there, in shock of her own strength.

"Emmy! Run!" Emmett called now. "Hurry!" He watched, smirking, as she tore around the bases. "That's my girl!" He crowed when she made it around before Edward could throw her out. "Great run, Em!!"

"That was just a lucky run!" Edward called back, grinning teasingly at Emma. "Great job, Em!" That had ended the game. Her team had won.

"We did it!!" Emmett came and scooped Emma up. "You are one heck of a player, Emmeline Hale!"

"That's because my father is Jasper Hale." She smiled proud of the fact. She knew now that she would never see any other person, human or otherwise, as her father and mother. Jasper and Alice were it.

"Well said, Em. Well said." Jasper came over, and took her from Emmett. "You did amazing out there, baby." The only person that ever been able to strike him out at all was Alice. Now Alice had some major competition. He glanced over. Alice was smiling proudly at the tw of them, but she looked somewhat sad too. She pointed to her watch. They had to leave now. He sobered. "Erm...guys..." He called his family over closer.

"It's time..." Alice spoke now. "We packed the car before we left, so all we have to do is get to the airport." She saw Emma twist in Jasper's arms. "Emmy, we don't have much time..."

"It's alright, Em." Emmett came over, and hugged her while she was still in her father's arms. "I promise you I'll come visit soon, okay?" He leaned closer to her ear. "Remember what I said, about us being brave about this." He smiled, setting an example, though inside, he was torn apart. Emmeline felt like she was just as much his baby sister as she was Jasper's daughter. "Can you smile for me, Em...?"

Emma forced a bright toothed smile for her friend. "I love you, Emmett..."

"I love you too, Em. I promise we won't be apart long." He was choking up. He didn't know if he could be "brave" for much longer. "You guys better get going."

"Yeah..." Jasper hugged Emma close, as the little girl buried her face in his shoulder. "Shh. It'll be okay, Emmeline. I promise. You're going to love England. It's beautiful there." He glanced over at Alice. Her and Bella were saying their goodbyes too. He hugged Emmett and Edward with his free arm. "You guys better come visit us."

"No problem there." Rosalie said now, coming to hug her "twin" close. "You just take care of my neice." Then she hugged Emma too. "And you do good, okay?"

"I will, Rosalie." Emma promised from the confines of Jasper's arms. Alice joined them, and Jasper began to carry her to the car. She tried not to look back. She didn't want to see the look of sadness on Emmett's face. She could feel it, and it was bad enough. "Jasper, can you make him feel better...?"

"He'll be okay, Emmy." Jasper reassured her, as he settled her in the back seat of Alice's porsche. The car seat was gone. He bucked her into the seatbelt tightly though. "You're a big girl now. You don't need the car seat anymore." He and Alice had discussed that milestone back at the house, when they were loading the car. He got in the driver's side.

"We'll call you when we're settled somewhere!" Alice promised, as Jasper pulled away from the field. She heard Emma sniffling in the back seat. She couldn't cry anymore, but she was definitely sad. She glanced to her husband. Jasper shook his head. Emma needed to get through this on her own. It wasn't right for her to feel calm unnaturally in a situation like this. "Emmy..."

"She'll be okay." Jasper told her quietly. "We need to let her get through this." He turned on the radio, and put in a CD he knew that Emma would be fond of. It was a CD of classical music he and Alice had gotten her to listen to once. He preferred earlier stuff, but he dealt with it okay. He and Alice didn't say anything more to their daughter. The rest was going to be up to her, to make the best of the situation to come. They would be there to comfort her, if it got bad, but right now, she needed time to adjust properly to the idea of leaving.

******************************************************************

The airport, as usual, was a chaotic mess. Jasper stuck close to Alice, carrying Emma in his arms so she wouldn't get lost in the fray. He felt Emma tense every so often, and knew she was feeling the emotions of every anxious or irritated patron in the place. He was glad when Alice finally got them on the plane. He settled her down in the seat between himself and Alice. "Don't move until the pilot says it's okay, alright?" He buckled her in.

Emma hadn't said much to either of her parents since they'd left the family baseball field. She finally spoke up. "Can you tell me about where we're going, Jasper?"

"Sure." Jasper settled down in his seat, and looked at Alice. His wife was already tuning into her visions. He braced himself, as the plane took off. He turned to Emma once they were up in the air, and smiled. "This is the perfect time to tell you all about it." They climbed higher into the air, and Jasper began to describe the country they were going to. It was a long flight, and he had plenty to say.

Soon, Emma was engrossed in the story of the country, and suddenly, she was looking forward to starting her new life. She would miss Emmett, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Just maybe.

**(A/N: and this concludes "Now You're One of Us". I would like to thank all of you, who came back every week, and reviewed and encouraged me on this fic. There were some rough spots, and if it weren't for all of your support, I don't know that I could've made it possible to write it! Thanks also goes out to Stephenie Meyer, who continues, even after the last page of Breaking Dawn to be an inspiration to me. And finally, to the wonderful wonderful friends I have at Svalbard, you guys KNOW who you are! Thanks for the continued support of my Twilight fanfiction. I'll see you guys next week with "Eyes on Fire" the continuation!)  
**


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